We’re inviting our friends and neighbors to join us on the Holy Hill on Saturday, July 30, 2022, for ABC’s inaugural Community Day event. The day will include music, vendors, games, and activities for the entire family, along with COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, and other health information. Come explore our beautiful campus and learn more about American Baptist College. Learn more here.
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Rep. John Lewis Way March
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Please join the American Baptist College community as we honor the late Rep. John Lewis during the John Lewis Way March. The march, taking place on July 23, 2022, will start at 8 a.m. at 1001 Rep. John Lewis Way N. (at the Tennessee State Library and Archives) and end with performances outside the Ryman Auditorium at 116 Fifth Ave. N. For more details, visit www.johnlewisway.com.
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Event hosted by The John Lewis Way Committee
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“Coming Back from COVID-19”
Lunch & Learn Series
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American Baptist College faculty and staff learned practical ways to focus on health and fitness during the second “Coming Back from COVID-19” Lunch & Learn on Monday, July 11. The session was led by Gerald Davis, a certified personal trainer who has worked in fitness and wellness since 1997. Since 2003, he has been director of the Ralph H. Boston Wellness Center at Tennessee State University.
Davis’s discussion focused on strategies for staying fit and healthy, including exercises that can be done in an office and at a desk. He also noted the seven dimensions of wellness – physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, and occupational – and encouraged attendees to “be a leader” for their own individual health.
The “Coming Back from COVID-19” Lunch & Learn series is funded by the U.S. Government Higher Education Emergency Relief (HEERF) Act and is part of ABC’s overall effort to emphasize health and wellness.
“We’ve learned from COVID that ‘normal’ is not normal anymore,” said ABC Executive Vice President Richard Jackson. “We have to get our bodies and our minds prepared to deal with whatever this ‘new normal’ is.”
The next “Coming Back from COVID-19” Lunch & Learn will take place on Monday, July 25, and will focus on how individuals can prepare themselves to return to the classroom and the workplace.
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Title III Workshop Provided Valuable Insights for Higher Education
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The annual Technical Assistance Workshop sponsored by the National Association of HBCU Title III Administrators, held in mid-June, was an insightful and great learning experience, according to American Baptist College Title III Director Demetria McCroskey.
This year’s theme, “Guiding the Way through Engagement, Inclusivity, and Resilience While Serving Our HBCUs,” addressed the necessary work of administrators across the nation. The Association organized a week-long agenda which included Department of Education sessions, best practice workshops, a student-led health screening booth, and informative poster sessions. Speakers included HBCU presidents Dr. Brenda Allen of Lincoln University, in Lincoln University, PA and Dr. Kevin Cosby of Simmons College in Louisville, KY.
“The workshops centered around federal guidelines and legislation, best practices in higher education student outcomes, and the historical perspective of Title III,” said McCroskey. “These sessions provided necessary and detailed information to keep administrators across the nation abreast of updates with guiding practices and principles of these federal dollars.”
The College’s external evaluator, Dr. Marshall Grigsby presented alongside Dr. Leonard Haynes, who assisted American Baptist College with obtaining its HBCU status. Their presentation provided a thorough overview of how Title III programs were enacted into law through the Higher Education Act of 1965.
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Andre’ Trice, ABC director of constituency services, also attended the educational workshop. He noted, “Not only were we educated on the history of Title III, but there were sessions about the future of higher education.”
Dr. Rasha Morsi of Norfolk State University presented in the session entitled “Gaming Curriculum,” which explored the future of gamification in the classroom and as an extra-curricular activity. Additionally, several sessions were focused on mental and physical wellness with an artistic approach. These included “Mindfulness and Yoga” with Marion Bernard-Amos of Lincoln University, “Self-Discovery through a Healing Arts Project” with Dr. Marietta Dantonio-Madsen of Cheyney University, and “Sankofa Self-Care: The Inclusion of Indigenous Practices of Self-Care, Wellness and Healing to Assist with Transformation of Campus Culture” with Tracey Smith of Cheyney University, which all provided an inside look at the innovative ways HBCUs prepare our diverse and unique student populations during these unique times.
“As American Baptist College prepares for the next five-year grant cycle, it is of the utmost importance that we not only know the history of Title III, but also follow the trends of the future within higher education,” said McCroskey. “These funds are dedicated to HBCUs to create a more competitive landscape for students, staff, and faculty.”
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Words From Our Recent Graduates
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Supporting ABC Allows Us to Offer Students a Unique Opportunity to Achieve Academic Success
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By providing a financial contribution, you can directly impact their lives, this community, and our world.
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ABC School Supply Drive Benefits Neighborhood Students
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The extended ABC family is invited to join us in supporting our neighbor, Haynes Middle School, by providing students with the back-to-school supplies they need. See the flyer for a list of supplies needed, and drop off your supplies at ABC during normal business hours through Wednesday, July 27.
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Mark your calendars for ABC Welcome Week 2022, August 8-15! Look for a full schedule of activities in our next newsletter, Thursday, July 28!
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Civil Rights Activist Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom
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Diane Nash, a Civil Rights activist during Nashville’s non-violent movement of the 1960s, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Joseph Biden on Thursday, July 7, 2022. Dr. Nash joins American Baptist College graduates Rep. John Lewis and Rev. C. T. Vivian in receiving the nation's highest civilian honor. All three fought for freedom and justice with lunch counter sit-ins, and action to desegregate interstate transportation and ensure voting rights.
Dr. Nash, a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, insisted that “the medal is shared with hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans that have sacrificed so much for the cause of liberty and justice for all."
This stalwart for freedom is well known in Nashville for a confrontation with Mayor Ben West after the bombing of the home of attorney Z. Alexander Looby on April 19, 1960. Nash and other students led a march to the steps of City Hall in protest of the bombing. Once there, Nash asked the mayor, “Do you feel it is wrong to discriminate against someone solely on the basis of their race or color?” West admitted that he believed segregation is morally wrong, and that confrontation marked a turning point that led to the desegregation of six lunch counters in Nashville stores a few weeks later.
We congratulate Dr. Diane Nash, who has remained bold, unrelenting, and focused on freedom and justice for all.
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Vernon Winfrey, the father of media mogul and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey, passed away on July 8. Winfrey was a respected Nashville businessman, owning and operating Winfrey’s Barber Shop for nearly 60 years. Winfrey also served four terms as a Metro Councilman beginning in 1975.
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Effective through July 29, 2022, campus office will maintain the following schedule (all times Central):
Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
During that time, the campus main gate will close no later than 3 p.m. on Fridays and remain closed (except for previously scheduled and approved events) until 6 a.m. on Mondays.
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American Baptist College has survived and thrived for 97 years. Established out of a desire to train African American preachers, it now is a full-fledged Historically Black College/University and offers both Associate's and Bachelor's degrees. Nestled on the “Holy” Hill in North Nashville, this College is a treasured institution in teaching, guiding and developing leaders of social change for the 21st century and beyond. Our work places a SEAL (Social Justice, Equity, Advocacy, and Leadership) on the world.
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