Black Academia This Week Vol. 2

Thank you for stopping by for another Black Academia This week! If you still have not had a chance to watch the IGTV Series, then you can check it out by following @blkgradstudent on Instagram. As always Black Academia This Week is a space to share what is going on in the Black academic space. Hopefully you enjoy the 3 topics I have to share this week.

1: Black American Sign Language

First off, did you know there was a Black American Sign Language (BASL)? If not then, you are going to learn something new today. The first school for the deaf was created in 1856, but Black deaf students were not able to be admitted until 1952. This cause Platt Skinner to create Skinner School for the Colored, Deaf, and Blind in 1856. Since then BASL has been around in the American Sign Language (ASL) community. This week ABC decided to celebrate BASL, and so today we share the joy in bring BASL to Black Academia This Week. To find out more about BASL, check out the following article: Celebrating Black American Sign Language – ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com)

2: Inequality of Black students in LA

UCLA Center for Transformation Schools, released a report of Educational Outcomes for Black Youth in LA County. The report highlights disparities Black students face versus their peers, by taking a look at the 14 districts in Los Angeles County. The UC/CSU Readiness statistic which focuses on students preparedness to enter the UC or CSU system, showed across all 14 districts Black students were less prepared then their counterparts. Also, when it came to chronic absenteeism and suspensions in all 14 districts this was higher for Black students compared to their counterparts. Ultimately, right now in the 14 districts in LA are showing huge inequality for Black students. For a more thorough analysis of the disparity, you can find more information here: Research: COVID-19 has likely worsened inequalities for Black students in L.A. County (phys.org)

3: UIPath Partners with HBCUs

UIPath a company that focuses on Robotic Process Automation (RPA), is partnering with 7 HBCUs. The HBCUs that UIPath decided to partner with are Winston Salem University, Clark Atlanta University, Grambling State University, Stillman College, Jackson State University, Tuskegee University, and Texas Southern University. Based on UIPath’s research 86% of companies are requiring automation skills from their workers. As part of UIPath’s partnership, they are helping with the curriculum for RPA programs at the 7 universities. For more information on the partnership you can find the details here: Process and Control Today | UiPath Partners with Seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Provide Automation Education (pandct.com)

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