On February 26, the Oakwood University Literary Guild hosted African American Read-in Day. This goal of this national event, sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English, is to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month.

All of the works read at the Eva B. Dykes Library were written by prominent authors such as Maya Angelou, Alex Haley and Langston Hughes, just to name a few.

Oakwood's Read-in Day lasted for five hours and incorporated all ages including children from the Child Development Lab to University students to faculty and staff members. 

Click here to check out the local ABC affiliate's (WAAY channel 31), coverage of this story.

On February 25, students from local elementary, middle, and high schools visited Oakwood University's Department of Chemistry for a day of scientific discovery during the University's Science Day 2014. During the events, participants had the opportunity to participate in fascinating hands-on experiments that brought textbook learning to life.

This event was free to participants due to the sponsorship from the Alabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (ALSAMP). The organization was established to increase the quality and quantity of underrepresented minority students completing baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This diverse alliance includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), public and private institutions, and research and teaching institutions to boost a new era of cooperation as the alliance seeks to increase the achievement bar for all ALSAMP students. 

On February 24, a select group of administrators, faculty, and

staff participated in a round-table discussion with two White House-initiative officials regarding how Historically Black Colleges and Universities can partner with non-profit organizations. Dr. George Cooper, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCU's, addressed the participants about his role in working with federal agencies in providing grants and financial assistance to the nation's black colleges.The main speaker, David Johns (pictured), executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African-Americans, shared "I am intimately acquainted with Oakwood's commitment to service and insuring that no matter what fields of study your students go in, there is an investment into serving and supporting others. I'm eager to take those best practices or lessons learned from here to help other institutions apply them in supporting their students in adopting similar pathways," he said.  

By Denica King, assistant marketing director

Junior theology student, Jason Moore, is determined to share the goodness of God.  His main goal is to encourage and empower individuals through the power of testimonies.

Jason Moore conducts an interview for his mini-series. Photo courtesy of The Huntsville Times.

Utilizing social media to circulate his video mini-series titled "They Overcame by...," Moore has found the perfect avenue to reach thousands of viewers around the world. 

This week, the Huntsville Times featured Jason Moore in an online article where he stated, "Nowadays, even in the church, we don't hear testimonies like we used to." It is has been his priority to share the joy of what God is doing in lives today.

Moore will partner with Oakwood to feature the testimony mini-series through the University's social media outlets. Born in London, England, Moore is a former cell phone technician who decided to make a mid-life career change to become a minister. He and his wife produce and direct the show.

Many organizations are hosting events this month to celebrate Financial Aid Awareness. Oakwood University hosted two events this past weekend to help prospective and current students understand how to effectively and responsibly pay for college. Participants included The 100 Black Men of America (BMOA), SALT, Redstone Federal Credit Union, United Negro College Fund, Oakwood Adventist Academy, Oakwood's Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Enrollment Management staffs. 

The Scholarship Summit, held Saturday evening, focused on ways to obtain funding to attend Oakwood University through: 1) Oakwood scholarships, 2) Federal Aid from the government, 3) Foundation scholarships, and 4) State-funded scholarships. "We want to make sure any student who wants to attend Oakwood knows what funding is available so they are able to attain higher education,' said Sabrina Cotton, vice president for financial administration.

Oakwood also hosted College Goal Sunday, an event that allowed participants to fill out the FAFSA in preparation for the start of the 2014-2015 academic school year. The FAFSA helps determine a student's eligibility for student financial aid (including the Pell Grant, Federal student loans and Federal Work-Study). "We explained the FAFSA application process, and also helped show them what they could potentially secure for funding," said Cotton.

Because of its commitment to helping people understand the importance of education, Oakwood will be hosting more events in the future to help prospective and current students understand how grants, scholarships, and student loans should be used to responsibly pay for college. 

On February 23, Oakwood University hosted the 8th Festival of Spirituals. The Festival of Spirituals began in the 1970s when Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the state of Alabama gathered to commemorate Black History Month. Under the watchful eye of Dr. Roy E. Malcolm, former event coordinator, the event was revived in 1996 and hosted by Oakwood University as a gift to the Huntsville/Madison County community.

Dr. Leslie Pollard, president of Oakwood University, addressed the audience, emphasizing the preservation of the art form of the Negro spiritual by declaring them a "distinctively American art form." He implored the audience to listen for the hope, the faith, and the confidence that sustained our forefathers and will sustain us now.

The Festival saw performances from nine choirs from seven institutions: Oakwood University, the University of Alabama, Fisk University, Alabama State University, Miles College, Talladega College, and Alabama A&M University.

Awards celebrating musical excellence where given to Dr. Lindy C. McLeod (Talladega College), Dr. Eurydice V. Osterman (Oakwood University), Dr. Joel C. Jones (Alabama State University) and Dr. Roy. E. Malcolm. 

Click here for the story carried by the local ABC affiliate, WAAY channel 31.

Last November, Biology major Amal Taylor gave an oral presentation at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) in Nashville, Tenn. He competed with more than 1,700 presenters from across the United States who did research at prominent research institutions. Taylor's presentation won first place in the discipline of chemistry.

Taylor conducted his research during the summer of 2013 at the Walter Sisulu University in South Africa. Dr. Ephraim Gwebu, chairperson of the Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics at Elizabeth City State was instrumental in Taylor's success. Dr. Gwebu has been working with Dr. Safawo Gullo, chairperson of the Department of Biological Sciences at Oakwood University in identifying students with high research potentials.

While conducting research at the Walter Sisulu University, Taylor was able to isolate two compounds from the extracts of the well known medicinal plant Schinus molle. The extracts were tested and shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, and analgesic effects. One of the two compounds he isolated was never reported previously.

In addition to this award at ABRCMS, Taylor previously won first place for an oral presentation at a Symposium in South Africa. He also won first place for a poster presentation at the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Conference (NOBCChE) that was held in Indianapolis, Ind., in October 2013. 

Dr. Gwebu has selected four more of Oakwood biology and biomedical science students for summer Internship Program in the summer of 2014. They are: Genise Browne, Aldain Griffiths, Jeffrey Taylor and Devon Scott. Stay tuned for updates on their summer experience.

Sonnie Hereford IV, pictured here with his father, was the first African-American student at Huntsville's 5th Avenue School in 1953.

An interested group of students and staff gathered on February 13 to hear Huntsville native Dr. Sonnie Hereford III reflect on his experience in the Civil Rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s. The event was sponsored by the Department of History and Political Science.

Dr. Hereford showed a 10-minute video on the Civil Rights Movement in Huntsville that was produced by former Oakwood students. He then discussed growing up in the segregated South, the hardships endured in his quest to obtain an education, and the difficulties he encountered as an African-American physician practicing medicine in the Jim Crow South.

Hereford went on to reminisce about his involvement in Huntsville's Civil Rights Movement. Specifically, he talked about his organizing of boycotts and marches, bringing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Huntsville to rally community support for the Movement, and his son's integration of the Huntsville Public School System in the early 1960s. When asked how he would rate the progress of desegregation in North Alabama, Hereford said "On a scale of one to ten,"  he would rate it "an eight. The City of Huntsville has made great strides in improving race relations."

Dr. Timothy McDonald, Oakwood University Provost, thanked Dr. Hereford for his insightful and inspiring recollections. McDonald also shared that when he (McDonald) was a student at Oakwood in the 1960s, Dr. Hereford served as the college physician who would go to the dorms to attend to ill students. Consequently, Hereford's professionalism and compassion are hallmarks of his Oakwood legacy. 

On February 10-15, Victoria Joiner Miller, '87, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, presented at the National Association of African-American Studies and Affiliates (NAAAS) in Baton Rouge, LA. Miller was chosen to present on her two research topics "A Phenomenological Examination of Government-Sponsored Forced Displacement of African Americans in Madison County, Alabama" and "Still Exhaling: Rhetorical Dimensions of Terry McMillan's Waiting to Exhale." She is also looking forward to presenting at the NAAAS International Research Forum scheduled for May 17-22 on the campus of Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, Mexico. Dr. Joiner Miller is one of 10 scholars chosen to present at the International Research Forum in Mexico.

On January 12-15, Dr. Keith Augustus Burton, '87, from the Center for Adventist-Muslim Relations at Oakwood Unviersity (CAMROU) conducted a workshop at the North American Ministerial Convention in Monterey, California. His was one in a series of presentations organized by Gabriela Phillips, director of Adventist-Muslim Relations for the North American Division. Dr. Burton's practical presentation was titled, "Building Bridges with Your Muslim Neighbor." 

Alumni Notes

Wintley Phipps, '76, pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist church in Palm Bay, Fla., was honored last Saturday at the Human Symphony Foundation's Living Legends Award Ceremony. Phipps was given the Living Legend Award for his "service to humanity" through the work of the U.S. Dream Academy.

Pollard's Places

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a networking breakfast hosted by the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce. During the breakfast, I got a chance to meet with Brenda Armstrong of the Edward Jones Investment Company about internship opportunities for Oakwood University students. 

- Dr. Leslie N. Pollard

Biology major Ashlea Hendrickson (left) shares her research findings at the recent Emerging Researchers National Conference (ERN) in STEM in Washington, D.C.