College Legacy Program For Black Women Halted After Losing Critical Grant
Source: Lacheev / Getty
The University of Alabama's highly anticipated Legacy program—a year-long initiative focused on mentorship and tech training for Black girls—has been put on hold after losing a critical $3.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation in April, according to The Birmingham Times .
Designed as a collaboration between seven predominantly white and historically Black colleges, the Legacy program aimed to support 600 students from Mississippi, Ohio, Michigan, and Alabama through 2028. Participants would have received mentorship from tech leaders at companies like Intel, along with hands-on instruction in coding and computing.
Jeff Gray, the program's head leader and a computer science professor at the University of Alabama, told The Birmingham Times on Thursday that he had 'dorms reserved' and meal plans 'set up' for students who wanted to enroll in the program.
'We even were starting applications,' Gray revealed. 'Some of us have spent 300 or so hours on the project.'
Legacy was an expansion of a successful Alabama pilot launched in 2019. Early results showed strong outcomes: 72% of the 71 Black girls who took part scored a 3 or higher on their AP exams, outperforming the national average across all demographics, including white and Asian males, said Mohammed Qazi, a Legacy faculty leader from Tuskegee University.
The program was also seen as a critical step toward addressing the severe underrepresentation of Black women in tech. According to the United Negro College Fund, Black women make up just 3% of the U.S. tech workforce, and even fewer hold leadership roles in Silicon Valley. This isn't just an issue, particularly in the U.S. In the U.K., the British Computer Society reports Black women account for just 0.7% of IT roles—2.5 times below representation in other fields. 'That means for black women to be truly represented in IT there would need to be 20,000 more within the sector,' the Chartered Institute For IT notes.
With the program now in limbo, its future remains uncertain, along with the opportunity it promised to hundreds of underrepresented students.
Gray noted that the initiative was rooted in providing 'equity of opportunity,' supporting students who had the talent but lacked exposure to careers in computer science. He highlighted that the program aligned perfectly with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey's push to expand computer science education across the state. As of fall 2024, UA reports 1,100 students enrolled in its computer science programs, placing Alabama among the top five states for computer science education.
Despite the setback, Gray remains committed to increasing access to tech careers for underrepresented students.
SEE ALSO:
Fact Check: Are Black Women Still The 'Most Educated' Group In America?
Beyond Betrayal: Black Women's Fight For Equity In The Time Of Trump
SEE ALSO
College Legacy Program For Black Women Halted After Losing Critical Grant was originally published on newsone.com
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs
Before the oppressive summer heat descends on Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually gets her thick, curly hair braided at a salon to preserve her healthy mane. But it's more expensive this year. So she'll only pay for her teenage daughter and son to get their summer hairdos. Not having braided hair 'creates more of a hassle for everything,' said Sims, who counts herself among the tens of millions of women who regularly spend on the Black hair care industry. Now, she said, she has to 'go home and figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair in the morning, after I go to the gym and it's messed up with sweating and frizz.' 9 President Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up prices for products many Black women consider essential, squeezing shoppers and stylists even more as they grapple with inflation and higher rents. AP President Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up prices for products many Black women consider essential, squeezing shoppers and stylists even more as they grapple with inflation and higher rents. Much of the synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs, and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel, and other products are imported from or have packaging from China, which was subject to a combined 145% tariff in April. India is also a major global source of human hair. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention, and they can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs, and braids. The Associated Press spoke with several Black hair industry experts, beauty supply store owners, and wholesale companies, as well as nearly two dozen Black stylists and braiders, some of whom may have to raise prices even as business has slowed. 9 Much of the synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs, and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel, and other products are imported from or have packaging from China, which was subject to a combined 145% tariff in April. AP On Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated most of Trump's tariffs on imported goods after they were blocked the day before by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Earlier this month, the United States agreed to drop the 145% tax on goods imported from China to 30% while the two economic superpowers negotiate new trade agreements. Imports from most other countries face baseline tariff rates of 10%. Regardless, the next few months 'are already shot' for many items, said Marty Parker, a University of Georgia business professor and supply chain expert who worked in the hair care industry. The costs companies have been facing at ports are making their way down to consumers, supply shortages are getting worse, and it's unclear what will happen if negotiations break down. 9 Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention. AP 'Prices go up very fast and come down very slow,' Parker said. Costs go up for Atlanta stylists Some stylists said they're seeing fewer clients because prices are going up for virtually everything. Atlanta stylists are paying more for hair from China. Atlanta stylist Yana Ellis, who also sells products like wigs, paid an extra $245 in shipping for 52 bundles of hair in March compared to 40 bundles in December. AaNiyah Butler said her shipping costs for human hair more than doubled from February to May. And Dajiah Blackshear found in early May that a beauty supply store raised the cost of the kind of hair she's used for years by $100. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters The store owner said he may have to stop selling that brand of hair because it has gone up so much. Similarly, some wholesale hair stores have seen higher costs or are expecting them in the coming weeks. Even the typical $6 to $10 cost of a pack of synthetic hair has crept up. Blackshear doesn't want clients to bring hair because she likes to vet the quality. But if expenses continue to mount, she may have to raise her prices. 'It's going to be extremely difficult,' she said, especially for clients who are 'having to make those hard decisions, between 'do I get my hair done or do I pay my bills?'' 9 Many black women can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs, and braids. AP Janice Lowe, who runs 5 Starr Salon in a lower-income neighborhood southeast of Atlanta, has started asking clients to bring hair and is unable to purchase certain products. 'I'm falling behind on my obligations,' she said. The industry braces for uncertainty Consultants vary on how much prices will rise, when they'll go up, and for how long — and the full harm to stylists and consumers could be months away. The global Black hair care industry was worth about $3.2 billion in 2023, according to and Black women spend six times more on hair care than other ethnicities. 9 Consultants vary on how much prices will rise, when they'll go up, and for how long — and the full harm to stylists and consumers could be months away. AP Stylists often purchase some harder-to-get professional products from door-to-door distributors that buy from wholesale companies or larger distributors that purchase directly from other countries. Lowe has seen some of her distributors vanish altogether, making it harder to get professional lines such as Black-owned leading professional hair care brand Design Essentials, manufactured in Atlanta at McBride Research Laboratories. Design Essentials is trying to delay big price increases until 2026 or 2027, and may turn to layoffs or pause promotions to save money, said President Cornell McBride Jr. Most packaging plastics come from China, but ingredients can come from many places. 'Nobody wants to put it to the consumer, but the person who pays is the consumer in the end,' McBride Jr. said. 9 The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China went up for the first time in two years, from $250 to $300, Hawa Keita said. AP Hawa Keita and her mother usually charge customers between $160 and $250 for braiding at their shop, Eve's African Hair Braiding in College Park, southwest of Atlanta. Keita is determined to take losses because their customers 'can't afford the Atlanta prices,' Keita said. The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China went up for the first time in two years, from $250 to $300, Keita said. They order weekly, often multiple boxes. Some companies say they'll soon raise prices or run out of stock. Making customers happy is ultimately what will keep the business afloat, Keita said. She smiled as she recounted braiding a young woman's hair for her birthday with a style she suggested. 'When we finished, she gave me the biggest hug, and she was in here screaming and just yelling because she just really loved her hair,' Keita said. 9 A braider at Eve's African Braiding in College Park, Ga., picks up pieces of synthetic braiding hair to feed into client Sadajah Herring's hair to create knotless braids. AP Priced-out consumers face unfair beauty standards For many Black Americans, especially women, affording their hair care also means confronting unfavorable beauty standards. Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington said recent discoveries about dangerous chemicals in synthetic hair and hair straightening products have sparked conversations among Black women looking for hairstyles that don't require as many imported products. But embracing natural hairdos can be daunting for women like the soon-to-be lawyers and clerks Washington advises, who face pressure to straighten their hair. 9 Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington said recent discoveries about dangerous chemicals in synthetic hair and hair straightening products have sparked conversations among Black women. AP 'That puts everyone who does not have organically, naturally derived straight hair at a disadvantage in these spaces,' she said. 'I think that a definition of professionalism that favors one phenotype — European phenotype — over all others, is inappropriate.' Longstanding income disparities between Black and white American women can also make higher hair care prices untenable. According to the U.S. Census, as of 2023, the median household income in Atlanta is $131,319 for white households and $47,937 for Black households. It's an inequality issue that professional hairstylists are aware of nationwide. 9 The global Black hair care industry was worth about $3.2 billion in 2023, according to and Black women spend six times more on hair care than other ethnicities. AP Stylist Mitzi Mitchell, owner of PIC ONE Beauty Services in Pennsylvania, said she has stocked up on certain products and tools for another year in anticipation of price increases. She wants to avoid 'bootleg' products, which are made illegally and often aren't as safe, but have become much more prevalent in the marketplace during economic downturns. 'I'm really conscientious about my Black minority clients because we make a heck of a lot less than other nationalities,' said Mitchell, who is Black. 'I try to keep prices low so we can continue to have the same services, but I know I will have to raise it.'
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
AP PHOTOS: The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean
ATLANTA (AP) — Black women are starting to pay more for their hair care because of the Trump administration's tariffs on goods imported from China. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention. They can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs and braids. Stylists are considering raising their prices while the the U.S. and China negotiate new trade agreements. But many dread what price increases will do for clients who are lower income and already strained by months of inflation on virtually everything else. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
6 recent restaurant closures in the Columbia area
Stories by The State journalists, with AI summarization A handful of restaurants in the Columbia area have recently closed their doors. Carolina Western Pub, a line dancing bar in the Vista neighborhood downtown, and Random Tap, a longtime bar near northeast Columbia, both shut down due to rising liquor liability insurance costs, but the owners of Random Tap are reopening it as Eatery 117 with a breakfast and lunch focus. Ratio, known for its creative Peruvian tapas, announced its last dinner service after five years in Elgin, though the chef hints at possible future projects. Alley Street Eats, a spot for Asian favorites like Taiwanese popcorn chicken and miso udon noodles, also closed after less than a year. In Forest Acres, Chubby's Burgers ended operations at one location while maintaining another, and June Mari's Deli in West Columbia paused business indefinitely following a fire. The Midlands bar has been open for nearly a decade. Now its owners are planning another restaurant concept at the facility. | Published April 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Trainor The restaurant focused on Asian street food and was located in a heavily commercial area in Columbia. | Published April 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Trainor The spot was one of two Midlands locations of the restaurant that is known for smash-style burgers. | Published April 25, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Trainor The owner of the Midlands restaurant noted that the decision to close soon did not come lightly. | Published May 1, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Trainor Following a downtown closure, few Columbia venues offer a home for the popular pastime. | Published May 28, 2025 | Read Full Story by Riley Edenbeck Three Midlands departments responded to the fire that happened early Tuesday morning. | Published May 27, 2025 | Read Full Story by Chris Trainor The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.
