Business

FAMU Students Sue Florida for Disparate Funding

Sam P.K. Collins WI Staff Writer

Three years ago, Nyabi Stevens followed in her grandparents’ footsteps when she matriculated to Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) to pursue psychology and African-American studies.

The Tallahassee native has since maintained a full course load while tutoring elementary school students and joining the psychology club, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Association of Black Psychologists.

As a testament to her HBCU pride and evolving Black consciousness, Stevens most recently became one of six plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the state of Florida for an alleged failure to provide FAMU financial support equal to that of the state’s traditionally-white institutions.

Though she expressed excitement about her FAMU experience, Stevens lamented seeing her campus relegated to one community in Tallahassee while Florida State University (FSU) continues to expand. She also recounted instances when one of her professors delayed class by 10 minutes to boot up a computer that had been in the classroom since the professor’s days as a FAMU student.

“We’ve been having to work with what we have. I’m not going against my school or anything but that’s what we’ve always had to do,” said Stevens, a Fort Lauderdale native.

“By being on this case, we’re working on getting our people more than the bare minimum,” Stevens added. “FAMU doesn’t get the amount of recognition that FSU receives. That’s because of the visuals and aesthetics that can be seen.”

In February, six Democratic members of the U.S. House called on governors, lieutenant governors and legislators in 18 states to address inequitable funding for HBCUs in the land-grant university system. Established throughout the 19th and 20th centuries under the Morrill Act, land grants facilitated the creation of colleges, including FAMU, that taught agriculture and mechanics.

This call by Democrats came months after the state of Maryland allocated $577 million over a decade as part of a settlement in a federal lawsuit levied by HBCU alumni. Funding started in the new fiscal year with $16.8 million going to Bowie State University, $9 million going to Coppin State University, $24 million to Morgan State University and $9.7 million going to University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

In the FAMU lawsuit, other plaintiffs include Britney Denton, Deidrick Dansby, Fayerachel Peterson, Alexander Harris, and a FAMU student who used the pseudonym of John Doe.

These undergraduate and graduate students alleged that the state of Florida, the Board of Governors for the State University System of Florida, and Marshall M. Criser III, chancellor of the State University System of Florida didn’t provide adequate funding and support to FAMU as required by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights.

The lawsuit demands that the state of Florida establish parity in funding between HBCUs and traditionally-white institutions in Florida within the next five years. It references the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and United States v. Fordice, a 1992 court case that mandated affirmative action at eight racially-segregated universities in Mississippi.

The Board of Governors for the State University System of Florida didn’t respond to The Informer’s inquiry about the class-action lawsuit. Bobby Brown, an attorney representing the six plaintiffs, said disparate funding has taken place for several decades. Tactics, as outlined in the lawsuit, include duplication of FAMU academic programs at traditionally-white institutions, denial of funding for capital enhancements and a failure to assist in student retention.

These count as part of what Brown described as a concoction that’s de jure segregation, or purposeful segregation by the government. He said Florida’s failure to provide equal funding and support to HBCUs has created an atmosphere where students have become emboldened to fight against racial injustice.

“Imagine what they can do with more, especially when it’s due to them from the state,” Brown said. “It makes you stand up and do something about it. The students are part of a movement. This generation won’t allow things they feel are out of bounds without putting up a fight. They’re the type of clients we want to right this wrong that has happened for too long.”

WI @SamPKCollins

THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA HOUSING AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) SOLICITATION NO.: 0026-2022

MARKET STUDY SERVICES

The District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA) requires detailed market studies to reflect nationally and locally (Washington DC) recognized standards.

SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS will be available beginning Monday, October 3, 2022 on DCHA’s website at www.dchousing.org under “Business” and “Solicitations”.

SEALED PROPOSAL RESPONSES ARE DUE ON OR BEFORE Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 11:00 AM.

Email Lolita Washington, Contract Specialist lwashing@dchousing.org with copy to business@dchousing.org for additional information.

5 Britney Denton, one of six FAMU students who filed a class-action lawsuit against the state of Florida. (Courtesy photo)

Harris Touts Plan to Support Black-owned Businesses

D.C. Community Praises Biden Administration’s Efforts

James Wright WI Staff Writer

Vice President Kamala Harris’s speech promoting the Biden-Harris Administration’s program to support community banks and financial institutions has resonated with Black business leaders in the District. Harris spoke during the Freedman’s Bank Forum at the U.S. Treasury Department on Oct. 4.

The Forum included a series of panels of government officials, nonprofit leaders and entrepreneurs who promote the viability of small and minority-owned businesses.

The bank, founded in D.C. in 1865, would be guided by the mission to help Blacks become financially secure. But as Harris noted, it folded after nine years due to an economic downturn and “because of the organized assault on the project of Reconstruction.” She said 60,000 people lost their savings because of its closure.

Harris made her comments in light of a shaky economy with surging costs impacting consumers. While a Feb. 22 article on census.gov pointed to an 8% hike in Black-owned businesses from 2018 to 2019, Harris acknowledged that people of color still haven’t had the chance to economically prosper.

“Black entrepreneurs are three times more likely to report they did not apply for a loan for fear of being turned away by a bank—often, anecdotally, because they heard about that experience from friends and relatives,” Harris said.

Harris said to counter the discriminatory practices, she, as a U.S. senator, supported a $12 billion investment program in community lenders, financial institutions which mainly do business in minority communities. She said the administration has distributed more than $8 billion of that investment program.

The vice president also spoke about the value of public-private partnerships in promoting business equity.

“We must do more to combine the expertise and the experience of the

5 Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the U.S. Treasury Department building on Oct. 4. (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer)

private sector with the reach and the scale that only the government can provide,” she said.

Harris talked about the Economic Opportunity Coalition which consists of over 20 private sector organizations including tech companies, philanthropies and some of the largest consumer banks and investment firms. She said the coalition has committed more than $1 billion to community banks that serve minority communities.

Anwar Saleem, the executive director of H Street Main Street, Inc., said he’s encouraged by the vice president’s speech and its focus.

“The speech was right on point,” Saleem said. “It is a matter of equity. We need programs that are geared toward small businesses. Small business tends to pay taxes more often than corporations. Many corporations write off their taxes.”

Saleem said Biden’s plan may benefit the District because some vacant

October is Estate Planning Awareness Month

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq.

October is indeed Estate Planning Awareness month. It is the month that we underscore the importance and the impact of completing an estate plan. Our firm spends each day of each week in the month extoling the value of making a plan that will propel the next and the next generation to greater financial strength

Yet, I will not lose this opportunity to reiterate the import. I am always excited when we build relationships across generations that are committed to not take for granted the goals and objectives to build. It is a blessing to be a part of the reckoning and stabilization of heir property that has meant a great deal to ancestors.

As Black people we must acknowledge the institutional racism that has and continues to oppress our economic reality to perpetuate the racial wealth gap. We must continue to attack the systems of racism that exist, be they covert or over and fight for equity.

In addition, we must be thoughtful about the opportunities and strategies that we can implement to build our net worth while transferring that gain from generation to generation. As an estate planning attorney individuals and families share the intimate details of their financial strategies.

Statistics show that only 30% of Black families have an estate plan. The other 70% are dependent upon the state, commonwealth or the district to determine who gets what we leave behind while paying them to make those decisions.

Estate planning provides the opportunity to consider the options and opportunities to invest in your life and your loved ones financially. The opportunity to create an estate plan is the opportunity to build a vision for our loved ones that is supportive of your values and the care and consideration of the people that you leave behind.

As an attorney that manages the administration of many estates that have not been planned, it has been distressing that many families end up expending great resources and devolve into litigation that destroys many families. The financial loss is significant, but it does not compare to the emotion loss when a family because as is torn apart a result of the distribution of assets.

Estate planning is an opportunity to give a lasting gift to those who you have loved during your lifetime or those who serve in a class that you would like to bless. Oseola McCarty is a personal shero who lived her life serving. She did not make a great deal of money as a laundress but was thoughtful about leaving a legacy beyond herself. She did not have any biological children, but she had a commitment to leave a legacy to a community of children. With the guidance of an estate planning attorney and a financial advisor she was able to leave a significant inheritance ($150,000) to the University of Southern Mississippi for “colored children who couldn’t afford college”. (She also was a blessing to her family and her church.) Her legacy is based upon her willingness to think beyond her life and to create a legacy for those she didn’t even know.

We have an opportunity to change lives if we plan. Do not let another October pass by without making the commitment to build a legacy for the future. Do not allow a governmental formula to determine who will be the recipient of your precious possessions. Be assured that you can make a better decision for the people you love. Invest in your loved ones with your vision for the greater legacy. We will be glad to stand with you on this journey.

Aimee D. Griffin, Esq., The Griffin Firm, PLLC http://yourestateplanningattorney.com (855) 574-8481 5335 Wisconsin Ave NW Suite 440 Washington DC 20015 4041 Powder Mill Drive Suite 215 Beltsville MD 20705 100 International Drive 23rd Floor Baltimore MD 21202 4601 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 1200 Arlington, VA 22203

buildings could be occupied by entrepreneurs of color. The capital supported by the Biden administration could also benefit those who want to start businesses, Saleem said.

“You have a lot of creativity in Wards 7 and 8 but they don’t have the capital to build their dream businesses,” he said.

Al Swailes, owner of A & A Premium Paint Distributor in Northeast, had long advocated for D.C. government to allocate more contracts to Black businesses. He said the Biden Administration’s programs “are helpful” and community banks represent a good place for novice entrepreneurs to seek capital as opposed to more traditional lenders.

“Community banks will help Black businesses get off their feet quicker than a traditional bank,” he said. “With commercial lenders, you have to show them how you will pay back the loan. Plus, commercial lenders will determine whether they give you money based on your personal credit and not business credit. You often have to pay firms such as Dun & Bradstreet hundreds of dollars for your business credit and not many Black businesses can do that.”WI @JamesWrightJr10