Category: Racial Justice

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/15/846195598/abdullah-ibrahim-south-africa-obituary

Abdullah Ibrahim, the South African jazz pianist deemed his country’s equivalent to Mozart by Nelson Mandela, died Monday in his adopted home of Germany after a short illness. He was 91 years old.

“Abdullah passed away peacefully with South Africa and its people in his heart,” his partner, Marina Umari, said in a statement. “His love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself.”

In an extraordinarily accomplished career that spanned eight decades, Ibrahim helped bring bebop stylings to South Africa, and he bonded with Duke Ellington, who produced one of his early, influential recordings. In his later years, he became an idol and an inspiration to new generations of jazz pianists.

Dr. Kevin S. Smith, serving as the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Affiliations at the Morehouse School of Medicine, brings a wealth of experience and dedication to his role in shaping the future of healthcare professionals. With a foundation laid during his residency and fellowship training at Stanford University Medical Center, Dr. Smith has established a distinguished career consistently demonstrating a commitment to medical education, transformative leadership, and operational excellence.

Throughout his career, Dr. Smith has held key leadership positions at prominent institutions, including serving as the Associate Chief Medical Officer and Division Chief of Gynecology and General Obstetrics at Howard University Hospital in Washington DC, as well as Associate Professor in the Howard University College of Medicine.

Gary Holness

Associate Professor of Computer Science, Clark University

Gary gets an absolute thrill from building things; that is bringing ideas, theories, and algorithms to life! He focuses on the investigation, design, and algorithmic realization of models that endow computing machines and systems with the ability to sense, interpret and act upon the content of their environment. His work ranges from theoretical to applied including the development of new mathematical models, algorithms for pattern recognition, computational approaches and architectures in support of intelligent systems, prototype systems, and experiments.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shari_Dunn

Shari Dunn (born 1968) is an American non-profit executive, journalist, and writer. She is the author of Qualified: How Competency Checking and Race Collide at Work (2025), and is known for her work in workplace equity, media, and public policy.^[1][2]

STOMPing Back to Worcester

Daysha Williams ’17 keeps the beat onstage on national tour

Daysha Williams ’17 arrived in Worcester in February with a Nor’easter in the forecast and a table at Da-Lat awaiting her. It was like coming home. 

Williams was back in the city with the touring company of STOMP, an inventive and explosive stage show in which the performers bang everyday items—from trash can covers to broomsticks to grocery carts—to create a percussive theatrical experience of music and movement.

“I drum on everything but a drum,” she says. “By the end of the show, you’re dripping with sweat. You leave everything on the stage.”

https://canvasrebel.com/meet-cameron-mccloud

We were lucky to catch up with Cameron McCloud recently and have shared our conversation below.

Cameron, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Day to day the world can seem like a tough place, but there’s also so much kindness in the world and we think talking about that kindness helps spread it and make the world a nicer, kinder place. Can you share a story of a time when someone did something really kind for you?

Putting together my first book should have been the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, and it would have been if not for all the people I had helping me.

https://www.npr.org/2026/05/28/g-s1-121470/cure-for-paranoia-tiny-desk-concert

Cure For Paranoia wants you to believe in yourself. Perseverance, plus a whole lot of talent, is what got the Dallas hip-hop collective to our space after submitting to the Tiny Desk Contest four years in a row.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floetry

Floetry is an English music duo formed in 1997 by singer Marsha Ambrosius (“the Songstress”) and spoken-word poet Natalie Stewart (“the Floacist”). They are known for their diverse musical and performance style referred to as “poetic delivery with musical intent”.^[1][2][3]

https://www.npr.org/2026/06/02/g-s1-123334/floetry-tiny-desk-concert

Floetry made its way “from London’s SE5 to Philly’s west side just to bring the vibe” to the Tiny Desk. And with the poetic flows of Natalie Stewart (aka The Floacist) and a rich, floating soprano from Marsha Ambrosius (aka The Songstress), the vibe in our space was immaculate.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frantzdy_Pierrot

Frantzdy Pierrot (born 29 March 1995) is a Haitian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Çaykur Rizespor, on loan from AEK Athens, and the Haiti national team.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherrilyn_Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill (born December 17, 1962) is an American attorney and the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights (Vernon E. Jordan) at Howard University. She is a law professor and the former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.^[1] She was the seventh president of the Legal Defense Fund, an organization that Thurgood Marshall founded in 1940. Ifill is a nationally recognized expert on voting rights and judicial selection.^[2] In 2021, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annual Time 100 list. In 2025, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society.^[3]

Clark student’s nonprofit has plenty of sole

Jordan Adeyemi ’28 has been working for the last four years to channel his love of soccer into community service by co-founding and operating a nonprofit that donates new and gently used sports shoes to underserved youth.

Adeyemi and his 14-year-old brother Jason launched The Shoeless Ones in 2020 to deliver shoes to young people in the Atlanta area, where they grew up. The brothers made special donations of shoes to youth in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria in 2021, and Adeyemi hopes to have a more global reach in the future.