A young man and woman who sat down for a conversion during a recent episode of The And inspired viewers as they talked about how they have maintained their friendship after breaking up.The duo, only identified as Elon and Lewis, proposed questions to each other during the segment and expressed that their love is still strong despite ending their relationship.The relationship didn't end on bad terms, according to the couple. But they had to move on after learning that their goals didn't align, particularly because Lewis remained hesitant in committing to marriage and having children."If for some reason I lost my memory, what is the first thing you'd tell me about us?" Elon asked as the pair exchanged questions.Lewis brought a glowing smile to his ex with his response. "I would say that I'm your best friend and that I love you more than most people I know," the young man said. "We can talk for hours and you can always say anything to me. Your family is basically my family. We grew up with each other. We're basically one person."When it was his turn to propose a question, Lewis asked "how do you think our lives would be different if we never met?"Elon had a hard time imagining what her life would have been like without Lewis."You're one of my long-term friendships I have had," she said. "I probably would have been by myself and just did certain things alone. It's hard to imagine."Lewis said he wishes that he had been more open about certain topics, such as mental health, while the couple was together. "I was afraid of losing you or you not liking certain aspects, that you would have found out about me or something," he said.Elon said there were times when she questioned the love in their relationship. She added that Lewis' lack of commitment to their future goals made her feel like he wasn't interested in staying together. The young woman continued that she started going to therapy for her anxiety and it helped her understand Lewis' depression."A lot of times I would think that things you would say were reflections of something I would be doing wrong when really it was not about me at all," Elon said. "I made it about myself in moments I should have been listening more to you. When we revisited those aspects, even in our friendship, I felt closer to you because I could communicate with you in a way where for the first time we understand where each other was coming from." Despite the couple ending their relationship, Lewis admitted that he may have regrets if Elon was to get married."I feel like once you do get married and start doing the other side of life, I feel like it will start getting harder," he said while talking about the possible regrets he would have.Before closing out the discussion, Lewis had one more pivotal question on his mind."Before we broke up, if I proposed to you, what would you say?" he asked.Elon said the commitment would have probably made her feel more secure about the future, but she's still not sure if she would have stayed.The duo received praise on social media for sitting down with each other after a breakup and having an open conversation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by THE SKIN DEEP (@the_skindeep) "These are the two best communicators I have ever seen! I learned so much. Masterclass! Props to them," one Instagram user wrote.Others couldn't imagine themselves having the same type of willingness."This would have to be hard. I haven’t been in a serious relationship, but this would have to be hard to do. Especially if you have good history and really loved that person," a social media user said. As Blavity previously reported, The And is a production of The Skin Deep, a video series where two people have in-depth personal discussions about various types of...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____How would your life be different if you were free from the financial suffocation of student loan debt?This is the question we asked our Color Of Change members. Almost 85% of Black voters support eliminating student debt and creating the possibility of life without these financial restraints. Many reported the dreams they hoped to embark on if they didn’t have student debt payments: saving for retirement, buying a home instead of renting, leaving a job where they face discrimination or starting their own small business. Instead, they are crumbling under the weight of their student loan debt.As the Class of 2025 announced their college commitments on College Decision Day this past Saturday, the time to address student debt is now. In February, President Biden said that student debt forgiveness will only benefit “people who have gone to Harvard and Yale and Penn,” but he’s leaving out the stories and experiences of Black and other marginalized communities — who already face racial discrimination at multiple levels within society — and would absolutely benefit from not having student debt.Tell President Biden To Advance Racial Equity And Eliminate Student Loan Debt!Choosing a college is a time we’re supposed to be celebrating taking that next step in our lives. Yet, for many of us, the excitement of college is clouded by another financial burden, another hurdle we have to overcome and another reminder of the gross inequalities forced on our communities.“I’m one of the 150,000 Black and brown women who lost their jobs during the COVID pandemic,” says Amber, who recently moved from New York City to Tucson, Arizona, to help raise her niece and support her mother. “Now we’re pretty much in downward mobility.”Years ago when Amber was deciding where to go to college and how to pay for it, she had been told that college was the ticket to upward mobility. A college diploma, she had learned, promised middle-class savings, homeownership and steady access to quality health care. So, like millions of other almost-college students her age, she took out substantial student loans. Now, almost 20 years later, she’s still paying them off.Amber’s story is not unique, and when we look at the data closer it’s even more clear that eliminating student debt is a racial justice issue. Student loan debt haunts almost 50 million people across the country, and significantly impacts Black and brown students who are hindered by racist financial institutions, outlandish costs of higher education and racial wealth gaps. This national, human-made crisis has grown steadily over time; In fact, the $1.7 trillion student loan debt has now surpassed the entire 2021 Fiscal Federal Discretionary Spending Budget, which includes budgets for the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education, Homeland Security, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development combined, plus more.“For all the people who say, “Well, I paid mine back.” That’s fantastic,” says Carla, from Agoura Hills, California. “But at the end of the day many of us have lived our lives in the right way, we've done what it is that we need to do and it simply hasn’t worked out for us to be able to pay this debt without living in a severely disadvantaged life.”For Carla, if her student loans were forgiven and eliminated she shared, “The things I want to do, first of all, is be able to breathe, just breathe and continue to live my life in a way that makes other lives a little easier.”While the consequences of this crisis are currently dire, they don’t have to stay that way. President Biden has already made small strides — we have the power to ensure he actually advances his racial equity policies to the fullest extent.Join Color Of Change and take action by signing this petition telling President Biden to eliminate student loan...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____A little over a year ago, in the city of Rochester, New York, 41-year-old Daniel Prude took his last conscious breaths inside a police-issued spit hood. Prude was a Black man, and he was experiencing an acute mental health crisis. Yet, he was detained like a criminal.A decade ago, I moved to Rochester to work at the Legal Aid Society. My focus was family law and domestic violence, and I had the opportunity to work with Rochesterians from all walks of life. We are a beautiful and diverse community, growing with recent arrivals from Puerto Rico, East Africa, Jamaica and many other places, and replete with families whose roots reach back hundreds of years. These characteristics of Rochester resemble many other communities around the country — diverse, filled with complex history and great collective promise.One of my earliest memories from my move is my colleagues enthusiastically commenting to me that Rochester had a Wegmans supermarket and that I would love it. Little did I know then that this same store would become the epicenter of activism on the anniversary of Daniel Prude’s detainment, where our community would issue a call for the racial justice work that lies ahead.As we recently passed the one-year anniversary of Daniel Prude’s terrible last moments we must ask ourselves: what have we done to prevent the next death? Has our community effectively united to combat systemic racism? Have we sufficiently reformed our criminal justice system to ensure that what happened to Daniel doesn’t happen again?Following Daniel’s death, a grand jury declined to indict the officers who presided over his last waking moments. Just recently, our city was once again in the national spotlight when Rochester police officers handcuffed and pepper-sprayed a nine-year-old Black girl. As she cried that her eyes burned and asked for her father, she received no sympathy from the officers. And even the promising impact of the Police Accountability Board appears to be in question, with its disciplinary powers stripped.Black men, women and children fear for their lives at the hands of law enforcement. In the United States, about one in every 1,000 Black men can expect to die from police violence. We cannot let another year go by without structural, sustained change in our community.Our nation is experiencing a reckoning for racial justice. Increased awareness is the first step towards reform, not the last. As the National Organizing Director of an organization that brings together Jewish activists and allies to fight for progressive values, I have seen first-hand the impact of broad coalitions working together to achieve justice, progress and lasting change.It’s time to organize and build a coalition of Rochesterians seeking a freer, safer future for our city. Together, we can reimagine community safety for all from the ground up.First, we must examine the power of police unions. They often stifle the ability of officers to adequately report offenders within departments. This culture does not serve the intended role of police in our communities, which is to protect and serve.Second, police officers should be better equipped and prepared to handle mental health crises. People experiencing mental illness or a disability are 16 times more likely to die during an encounter with police. To address this, Rochester should examine New York City’s recent reforms. They announced that in response to mental health emergencies, teams of health professionals will be dispatched. This shift will help prevent future escalations between police and those experiencing mental health crises.Third, we must advocate for reform on how officer performance data is kept, to increase transparency and build trust throughout the community. We need courageous, justice-minded leadership to set new standards for what kind of behavior is rewarded versus disincentivized in their departments.These reforms must be implemented in collaboration with the community and with the intention of addressing structural racism. The increased awareness and activism around racial justice is a necessary development. Let it be the first step of a continuing journey toward action and reform — for Daniel Prude, for the nine-year-old child, for so many others and for our community.____Lauren Deutsch is the National Director of Organizing for Zioness and a resident of Rochester....

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____She didn’t scream because no one listens to her cries. Let me say that again.She did not scream because no one listens to her cries....

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____I have a confession to make: I hated my first name.I hated it for years. I was that kid who could never find her name at any souvenir shop when we stopped at them on family road trips or school field trips.I have not used Vedia since the ‘80s. I was teased unmercifully (called VD, venereal disease, videotape, etc.) and bullied constantly by the kids in my elementary school and my first year of junior high. Over the last 35 years, I never thought to use my government name. Tanya stuck since it’s part of my middle name, La’Tanya — and I could find it on keychains.Recently, I won several awards in my graduate program and my college advisor asked me if I wanted those awards to read Vedia Barnett or Tanya Barnett. I was seriously taken aback because I had not used Vedia in any capacity since the mid-'80s. I never had to help people pronounce it because I used Tanya on applications and the like.Bynames matter and I was not using my real first name due to past trauma. I eventually forgot about Vedia.There is a history of Black folks being shamed by their unique, ethnic or phonetically spelled names. I remember when Dr. Marijuana Pepsi Vandyck talked about refusing to change her name. An NPR story detailed that while Vandyck was a student, “her name elicited the strongest reactions from white teachers.” I received that same reaction from the kids in my school. And teachers often butchered my name or would use my last name when they called roll. I cannot remember the last time my name was uttered by anyone other than my husband and my father.In the Forbes article, “Are Job Candidates Still Being Penalized For Having ‘Ghetto’ Names?,” Janice Gassam Asare shares how “name discrimination is a common issue that job candidates from different ethnic backgrounds may face.” Black folks, as well as ethnic individuals, face all sorts of discrimination when it comes to our names. But I believe we can do something about it. Here’s realized to find the beauty in my name:I had to fall back in love with my name. Vedia is unique, easy to say and virtually no one else has it.I had to understand my mother chose my name for a reason. It was different and she loved the way it looked. We are talking about a 21-year-old naming her Black baby girl in 1971.Believe it or not, my father and my husband are the only people in this world who still call me Vedia. Even my momma calls me Tanya.I asked my kids what name of mine they liked and they love Vedia. The more I type it, the more I realize that it is time to use my name — the name Ruth and Rodney Walker gifted me with.So let me reintroduce myself to you: Hi, my name is Vedia La’Tanya Barnett, and I’m proud of my beautiful, Black...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____Starting a business is hard, not to mention the costs that are associated with it. As most aspiring owners, I planned on saving a large sum of cash before I quit my job and started my business. Life, on the other hand, had other plans for me.I was laid off from my job a little more than two years ago, and as a result, had to lay off my nanny. I made the decision that I’d have to start a business with no money (because I had no money) and the business would have to pay for itself. This was the only way that I could keep a roof over my children’s head with no job and no childcare.Luckily, I had experience with this due to the very first business I ever started — an event planning and decorating service in Houston, Texas. I was 18 when I started this business and, like most 18-year-olds, I was broke.Here’s how a pulled off starting my first business in Texas with no capital:- I started the event service business as a sole proprietorship as opposed to an LLC, to avoid the $300 fee attached to it. Instead, I paid $25 and filed a DBA with the Texas Secretary of State. Then I applied for my Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is completely free on the IRS.gov website.- I signed up for Google My Business, which was also free. This increased my business website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and allowed me to be found in Google searches for local event planners. This is still an easy and powerful method to be found on the internet and should not be overlooked, especially when working on a budget.- I signed up for a website on Vistaprint. The website was free for a month and the process of building it was pretty simple. I was able to secure my domain name, design the website and publish it live, all without paying anything for it. - I used Thumbtack to find customers. At the time, they only charged a few cents for leads and they didn’t charge you until the customer hired you. This is no longer the case. Their cost has since increased to a couple of dollars per lead and you pay for them upfront.Thumbtack is still quite an inexpensive way of obtaining leads, however, if you truly have absolutely no money, advertising your business on Groupon is the better path to take. Although you do have to drastically discount your prices, Groupon only charges you if you make money.My very first customer, found on Thumbtack, paid me $1,650 to decorate their home for a wedding. I took that first amount and donated every dollar back into my business, by purchasing supplies, insurance and paying for my website.My next customer, also found on Thumbtack, paid me $950 to plan a baby shower. I used these funds to register my business as an LLC, purchase additional supplies and finally invest in marketing.Though my business was started with a micro-budget, it quickly grew to bring in $5,000 a month within three months of launching. I have no doubt that others have been in the same boat as me, desperate for a way to bring in an income when all roads seem blocked. Whether you use my budget-friendly ideas or find your own, don't let money be the thing that holds you back from getting started.Now, who said you can’t make lemons out of...

If you’re interested in sharing your opinion on any cultural, political or personal topic, create an account here and check out our how-to post to learn more.Opinions are the writer’s own and not those of Blavity's.____At any given moment in the United States, 35 million people experience hunger, more than half a million people experience homelessness each night and 10 million formerly incarcerated individuals return to their homes, many without the reentry services they need. And marginalized communities are the ones bearing the brunt of each of these injustices.While these injustices persist — and even grew worse amid the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic — people in communities around the country are developing locally-sourced solutions to chip away at these systemic challenges. From Black Lives Matter, one of the largest grassroots movements in U.S. history, to those simply helping to feed a family or find a roof for those who need it, the efforts of these individuals are herculean. But they should not bear the weight of this fight alone; businesses must also step up and partner with these local organizations at the forefront of making long-lasting change in cities and towns around the country.This fight is all of ours and will take a massive collective effort if we are serious about tackling these injustices. 2020 shined a bright light on how much injustice still exists in society. Now it’s up to all of us — including corporations — to do something about it.We’ve long watched cities like New York, Seattle, Philadelphia and Washington DC, compete to attract, support and retain large companies to contribute to the success and profit of the region. But too often these big companies don’t do enough to partner with their local communities. This must change.Change grows from the ground up, and community-sourced solutions are key to driving meaningful impact. All too often, those closest to challenges have the best ideas to address them but lack the funding necessary to scale them. Not all communities have the resources they need to carry out the change they envision.That’s where companies can step in. By providing funds, while also lending their expertise on how organizations can grow and expand their solutions, we can help create change that lasts.For companies, there is no room for “neutrality” in this effort. To be neutral is to support the status quo — and the status quo isn’t working for everyone. A more just and equitable world benefits us all, even those of us who already have means. But creating a world that works for everyone will only be achieved if we have the foresight to work collaboratively. That means businesses must come together to partner with communities. It will take more than writing a check to a charity once a year to see the restoration of justice that will meaningfully impact people’s lives.That is why Expensify.org, a charity founded by the preaccounting platform Expensify, launched the Community Justice Grant Challenge — to collaborate with changemakers in communities across the country. We’re specifically seeking individuals in regions where Expensify has deep roots so we can help pay it forward in the communities we are also part of. Our goal is to fund and scale these efforts while setting a new paradigm for corporate activism.We’ve been inspired by the tireless work of organizers investing their own capital to advance movements that matter most in their communities. From providing showers to homeless people in Tennessee, to community groups in New York City that worked to ensure their neighbors had enough to eat through community fridges, there have been countless stories of people stepping up to dismantle everyday injustices.As businesses in these communities, we should all be inspired to support this work. It’s not just for good karma, it’s smart for business too. When communities thrive, so do businesses.This is not to say that other businesses have not already put their money where their mouth is. For example, Apple recently announced a new Racial Equity and Justice initiative. This is the kind of initiative we need to see companies take, but we need more corporations to step up.The past year has reshaped how we think about our individual and collective responsibility to take action against injustice. We know that talk is cheap — it takes commitment, partnership, and resources to drive impact. It’s time for other companies to join us.____Puneet Lath is Expensify.org’s...

Two men were formally charged with murder on Monday in the death of 51-year-old California man Charles Warren Neazer, who was killed while crossing the street in 2015, Newsweek reported. Neazer was killed because was Black, police say. "Neazer was a resident of the City of Banning and while walking home on November 7, 2015 at approximately at 12:20 am, William Armendariz Jr. and Samuel Vasquez drove up next to Neazer, who was crossing the street at 5th Street and Williams Street, exited a vehicle, produced firearms and cowardly shot Neazer to death," police stated in a press release.The investigation, which had gone cold within months after the killing, was reignited in 2019. Detectives said that's when they began reviewing evidence from multiple incidents in Banning, as well as other areas, and "started finding similarities and evidence that was similar to other crimes that were being perpetrated." Banning Police Chief Matthew Hamner, who joined the department in 2019, reassigned patrol officers to work as investigators on the case."Hamner met with the veteran staff of the PD and listened to their ideas and concerns, it was decided that there was a need for additional Detectives to work through this complicated task," police said. "Chief Hamner had to make the difficult decision to remove officers from patrol and reassign them to the Detective Bureau, in order to effectively work these complicated murder investigations. This decision has been paying off and continues to do so."COLD CASE HOMICIDE ARREST Case # 15-3345 On November 7, 2015 Officers of the Banning Police Department responded to the...Posted by Banning Police Department on Monday, May 3, 2021The two suspects in the killing of Neazer, who are believed to be gang members, were already in custody awaiting trial for allegedly committing several other violent crimes. Armendariz, 24, was previously convicted for stealing a vehicle. He was also accused of committing multiple murders from 2018 to 2020. Vasquez, the 22-year-old who is facing several charges of attempted murder and assault with a firearm, was also previously convicted of felony domestic abuse.The case of Neazer is now submitted to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office for review, Patch reported. While Armendariz is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Riverside County, Vasquez is held on a $1 million bail at the same jail."Armendariz is in custody for the murder of four other victims and is awaiting trial," police said. "Vasquez is in custody and awaiting trial for attempt murder of several other African...

After a 16-year-old girl was found dead hanging from a tree on April 18 in Hopkinton, a town 30 miles west of Boston, Massachusetts, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced it's amending the investigation to focus on the suspicious circumstances of her death. “The death of Mikayla Miller is a tragedy and an unimaginable loss for her family and the entire community,” a statement from District Attorney Marian Ryan read. “We know that everyone mourning her is seeking answers. Our investigation into the events of April 17-18, 2021, remains open. While we await a ruling on the cause and manner of death from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, we will continue gathering information and interviewing witnesses. As this investigation unfolds, we will continue to update Mikayla’s family and their representatives.” The death of Mikayla Miller is a tragedy and an unimaginable loss for her family and the entire community. We know that everyone mourning her is seeking answers. Our investigation into the events of April 17-18, 2021, remains open. Full statement below: pic.twitter.com/3W3mtUxH4v— DA Marian Ryan (@DAMarianRyan) May 2, 2021 At around 7:45 a.m. on April 18, Miller's body was found hanging from a tree by a jogger, off of a trail near the apartments where she resided. Initially, a spokesperson for Ryan’s office said Miller’s death was not viewed as suspicious, but that the case was “open and active,” the MetroWest Daily News reported. In a statement, the 16-year-old’s mother wrote that the Hopkinton police failed to properly log incidents pertaining to her daughter's death.“The Hopkinton police did not log either the incident when my daughter was ambushed now when she was found dead,” the statement read. “The state police did NOT conduct an investigation or speak to the persons involved.”She also said that Sergeant Sean O’Brien of the Millbury Police Barracks advised her not to take the story of the teen’s death to the media, otherwise her “sexuality” would be exposed. Miller identified as a part of the LGBTQ+...

Don Lemon has never held back his criticism of outrageous claims made by conservative pundits and Monday night's airing of CNN Tonight was no different. Lemon was direct with his criticism of former Pennsylvania senator and CNN senior political commentator Rick Santorum who said last month that America was built from "nothing" and that "there isn't much Native American culture in American culture," The Hill reported. Santorum's remarks came during a conservative conference hosted by Young America's Foundation. People immediately called on CNN to remove Santorum from his position with the network.On Monday, the former presidential candidate told CNN host Chris Cuomo that he "misspoke" and was referring to "the founding of our country." He added that he wasn't "trying to dismiss Native Americans."During the interview, Cuomo suggested to Santorum that "it seemed like you were trying to erase diversity in the interest of some white Christian right," Deadline reported.  But Lemon thought Santorum should have been issuing an apology rather than defer his remarks.Don Lemon tears into Rick Santorum for not apologizing for his Native American remarks on CNN tonight."Did he actually think it is a good idea for him to come on television to whitewash the whitewash that he whitewashed? It was horrible! It was horrible and insulting!" pic.twitter.com/vLndQKE66A— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) May 4, 2021“I cannot believe the first words out of his mouth weren't ‘I'm sorry. I said something ignorant, I need to learn about the history of this country.’ No contrition, didn't talk about the suffering that Native Americans have had to deal with in this country. It was, I mean, Rick Santorum, really?” Lemon said to fellow host Cuomo after the interview.“Did he actually think it was a good idea for him to come on television and try to whitewash the whitewash that he whitewashed? I mean, it was horrible. It was horrible and insulting, and I apologize to the viewers who were insulted by it, because I was sitting in my office, furious, because he’s done it so many times. So many times, and it’s just, I’m sorry, it was just so egregious and insulting,” Lemon added.In addition to being frustrated with Santorum, Lemon appeared peeved by Cuomo and his decision to bring the political commentator on the program. “I had him on because I wanted people to see what this is. There is no mystery for you guys,” Cuomo said.“People know what it is, Chris,” Lemon responded.The two hosts, who share a respectable friendship, appeared frustrated, ending the conversation abruptly with the conclusion they were not going to see eye-to-eye.“We gotta go, because we’re not gonna agree,” Lemon said.“We agree on the problem. What’s the solution, we gotta figure it out,” Cuomo said.“I got a solution but, anyways, not my decision,” Lemon...

When the popular audio-streaming platform Music Choice displayed rapper MoneyBagg Yo’s real name, Drake slid into his comments to poke fun at him as the 29-year-old lambasted his personal information being aired.“Police as hell,” Moneybagg said as he recorded the screen. “What the f**k wrong with y’all, Music Choice? Appreciate the love but damn! Talking about, did y’all know his real name?”  View this post on Instagram A post shared by DJ Akademiks...

Deion Sanders lambasted the 2021 NFL draft following last week's picks for the league. The multi-hyphenate sports figure said that “our kids are being neglected & rejected” after none of the 259 featured players selected into the NFL were from an HBCU. “There were 259 picks in the 2021 #NFLDraft – not a single draft pick featured a player from an HBCU,” The Undefeated wrote on Twitter.There were 259 picks in the 2021 #NFLDraft – not a single draft pick featured a player from an HBCU pic.twitter.com/zrcNYtjpCG— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) May 1, 2021"We have the Audacity to Hate on one another while our kids are being NEGLECTED & REJECTED," Sanders wrote on his Instagram. "I witnessed a multitude of kids that we played against that were more than qualified to be drafted. My prayers are that This won’t EVER happen again. Get yo knife out my back and fight with me not against me!"  View this post on Instagram A post shared by COACH PRIME (@deionsanders)In April, more than 40 players from historically Black colleges attended the first NFL coordinated HBCU Combine at The University of Alabama-Birmingham, after it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "We should be right there," the Jackson State University coach said, USA Today reported. "We shouldn't have a separate combine. That doesn't make sense to have a separate combine. I was just trying to get us in, but now that I'm involved, and I'm in it, we don't want separate. We want together." Sanders, who is an eight-time Pro Bowl player and former NFL cornerback was announced last year as the head football coach for Jackson State University, one of the largest HBCUs in the country, as Blavity previously reported. "I am truly blessed to be the 21st Head football coach of Jackson State University," he said in a statement at the time of his appointment. "It's my desire to continue this storied tradition and history of JSU and prayerfully bring more national recognition to the athletes, the university, the Sonic Boom of the South, and HBCUs in general."According to HBCU Gameday, only five out of the 460 NFL prospects for 2021 hailed from an HBCU. In 2020, Tennessee State University’s Lachavious Simmons was the only HBCU-based pick.“It’s hard to believe that not one guy is worthy of being drafted,” Doug Williams, Washington Football Team senior adviser, said, according to The Washington Post. “That to me, that’s a travesty. Hopefully, we can fix it.” In 2016, 32 players from HBCUs were chosen to be a part of the National Football League, and as of September 2020, there were a total of 29 active HBCU alumni players in the NFL, HBCU Gameday reported.  Despite being overlooked this year, the Black College Football Hall of Fame announced the introduction of the HBCU Legacy Bowl which will take place in 2022 following Super Bowl LV. "The HBCU Legacy Bowl means opportunity and exposure for HBCU players and coaches," Williams, who is a co-founder and inductee, said, according to the NFL’s website. "We're excited to have this in New Orleans, especially during Black History Month." The week-long event will highlight prominent, Black collegiate athletes, exposing the nearly 100 invitees to the...