On Sunday, May 19th, 396 young men wore their caps and gowns and seemed not only optimistic as Robert F. Smith gave their school's 135th commencement address, but also burdened by the debt that financed their education. Smith, currently the richest black man in America, shocked the students with a surprise message. He pledged to pay all debts for Morehouse's entire 2019 graduating class.
It was a graduation ceremony like most others, featuring a grand display of pomp and circumstance. The graduates wore caps and gowns, and proud family members filled the audience. The only unusual aspect of this ceremony was that it took place at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in the town of Pacific, Missouri.
With the soul of Kasparov, Karpov, Fisher, Botvinnik, and the other immortals in the world of chess, 8-year-old Tanitoluwa (“Tani”) Adewumi is gradually becoming the embodiment of all the virtues that the game teaches: ingenuity, resilience, tenacity, and ambition.
After being named Best Actor at the 2019 Academy Awards in Los Angeles, Rami Malek spoke with emotion: “I am the son of immigrants from Egypt—a first-generation American, and part of my story is being written right now. ... I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you, and everyone who believed in me for this moment.”
Boris Kodjoe, a Hollywood actor of Ghanaian descent, afforded his closest friends a once in a lifetime experience when he took them to Ghana's inaugural Full Circle Festival this past December.
