HBCU Young Alumni Seek to Break Stereotypes As ‘Young, Gifted and Black’ Photo Goes Viral

Nyerere Davidson never imagined that a gathering with friends from around the country would produce an iconic photo representing the future of historically Black colleges and universities, but the 2008 Florida A&M University graduate couldn’t be happier about it.

“I just thought it would be a nice illustration to counteract the stereotypes about young Black people,” says Davidson, a Milwaukee native and recent transplant to Washington D.C. who organized the shoot as a commemorative moment for his birthday celebration last month in the District.

“This is a range of different people from different parts of the country, different shades, different looks and different styles representing what Black excellence looks like. And all of us are from HBCUs.”

Davidson is a marketing executive with the YMCA’s national headquarters, and promotes the organization’s Healthy Living/Healthy Communities initiative. A former volunteer with the YMCA’s community-based Black Achievers program in Milwaukee, he says that imagery is a powerful part of connecting with Black youth and showing real possibilities in education and professional life.

“With everything going on at Mizzou, and in cities throughout the country, I think this shows young Black people in a totally different way,” he said. “We’re all professionals—doctors, fashion designers, corporate executives—but we’re young and we embrace our responsibility to our communities and what our image means to the outside world.”

For more, visit HBCUdigest.com.

Tallahassee Police: Alleged Yeti Rape Footage Not Produced at FAMU

Tallahassee police officials say that footage showing an alleged rape was not shared on Florida A&M University’s campus, contradicting several reports and social media activity which peaked last night about the incident.

The Tallahassee Democrat today reports that the social sharing site Yeti has been in contact with the Tallahassee Police Department,which has questioned the man responsible for uploading a video allegedly showing another man, who is unidentifiable in the video, having sex with an incapacitated woman.

Students from FAMU took to twitter last night to alert the campus community of the apparent crime, which originally broke on the women’s pop culture blog Jezebel.

For more, see HBCUdigest.com.