Livingstone College

Officer: ‘You’re not leaving us here; not under our watch’  SALISBURY – Livingstone College security officers are credited with helping to save the life of a three-month-old child on campus Monday. Ashley Dawkins, the child’s mother, was attending a presentation show by the sorority Sigma Gamma Rho at Varick Auditorium on Monday evening when her baby started aspirating. She took her baby outside into the lobby and that’s when Livingstone College security officer Kia Allison, who was inside the security office located in the lobby, heard the mother yell that her baby was choking. Allison said she and the mother ran outside with the baby. Allison alerted the officers at the security booth to call 911. In the meantime, the mother was suctioning out the baby’s mouth and Allison started chest compressions. Officer Nyshika Ledbetter then got involved. “I flipped the baby over on her stomach. I was holding the baby in the palm of my hand while the mother was suctioning,” she said. The mother then started performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her child. “Breathe into your baby!” Allison recalled telling the mother repeatedly. The baby’s mouth was turning blue and her eyes were starting to roll when the child gave a faint cry, Ledbetter said. “But the baby stopped crying and the mother started mouth-to-mouth again. That’s when the baby’s eyes opened up,” Ledbetter said. “We were praying and speaking life to the baby. We said, ‘You’re not leaving us here. Not under our watch on LC (Livingstone College) …

SALISBURY – The Livingstone College Children’s Book Festival will be held Saturday, April 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the front lawn of the campus, featuring storyteller Linda Gorham, Tyca the Clown and a special treat from a local elementary school. First held in March 1991, the festival was born after Jacquori Franklin, daughter of former Livingstone President Bernard Franklin, asked her dad why there was not a book festival held in Salisbury like the ones she attended in Virginia. He didn’t have an answer, so he formed a committee and the rest is history, said Deborah Johnson, Livingstone College Children’s Book Festival coordinator and UNCF director. Fast forward 28 years and the Children’s Book Festival continues in its efforts to help bridge the gap of literacy issues that plague many of the children within the Salisbury-Rowan community. The book festival was designed to create a love and appreciation for books and reading for children ages 3-12 through storytelling. “In doing so, it also pays homage to Salisbury and Livingstone’s own storytellers of all storytellers, the late Jacqueline (Jackie) Torrence, ‘The Story Lady,’” Johnson said. Annually, Livingstone College has provided hundreds of children with books to take home.  “How awesome it is to see the campus green covered with children enjoying food and bounce houses, while engaging in activities with our college students and volunteers. Their smiles are priceless as they select their books to take home,” Johnson said. For several years, Livingstone College and the Rowan Public …

Livingstone College is in the business of developing leaders and so is the United States Army ROTC. That’s why the Army ROTC program coming to the campus of Livingstone is a perfect marriage of leadership excellence. Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., announced last month that the Army ROTC program would start in the fall of 2019. Through classes and field training, Army ROTC provides students with tools to become an Army officer without interfering with their other classes, and gives students money for tuition while enhancing their college experience. “The most important thing about Army ROTC is that it gives you a solid foundation and a stepping stone in pursuing your career path as a leader,” said Dr. Curtis Dean, assistant professor who is serving as faculty liaison of the program. “By graduation, students will earn not only a degree, but also a commission as second lieutenant in the Army, Amy Reserves or Army National Guard.” Army ROTC begins with a basic course of instructions taught during the first two years of college. Cadets learn the principles of leadership, Army history and Army organization and structure. During the final two years of college, cadets participate in an advanced course of instruction that teaches the principles of military leadership and military field craft, and provides opportunities for adventure training, all designed to develop and hone a cadets’ leadership skills and ability, Dean said. If a student has at least two or more years remaining toward their undergraduate degree but not enough time to …

Father, platinum-selling jazz artist, Ben Tankard, to accompany her Bravo TV reality star, singer and motivational speaker, “Queen Brooklyn” Tankard, along with celebrity family and friends, is coming to Livingstone College April 8-9. The visit is part of her 2019 “I Am Free Concert and Convo Tour,” which uses the power of music, education and the performing arts to empower the community and provide solutions to violence. Queen Brooklyn starred in Bravo TV’s reality show, “Thicker than Water,” along with her parents and siblings, dubbed the “Black Brady Bunch.” She was nearly killed and endured violence between the ages of 9 to 21, which inspired her to create the “I Am Free Tour and Movement,” which helps people to prevent and heal from violence while becoming the best versions of themselves. As a voice for students and communities riddled by sexual, physical and mental violence, she is committed to providing resources to survivors of violence and has enlisted the services of partnering organizations to help people transition out of violent situations. Family members joining her on the tour include her father, Pastor Dr. Ben Tankard, a platinum selling artist who is currently No.1 on the smooth-jazz Billboard Chart, and his wife, Pastor Dr. Jewel Tankard, who is an international speaker and wealth guru. Queen Brooklyn’s siblings and more celebrity friends will also be in attendance. The community is invited to attend educational workshops on April 8; the VIP Celebrity Meet & Greet on April 9 at 2 p.m.; and the …

Livingstone men’s basketball team earns CIAA  highest GPA award as tourney begins By Kimberly Harrington/Livingstone College News Service                                                                        As the CIAA tournament kicks off today in Charlotte, the Livingstone College Men’s Basketball Team are already champions. The CIAA awarded the men’s team with the highest GPA award during its Men and Women’s Tipoff Awards Breakfast Monday at the Crown Ballroom in the Charlotte Convention Center. The team’s average GPA was 3.2. “As we begin the CIAA tournament, we are already winners,” said Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr. “We have proven that off the court, our students are exemplary student athletes who take their education seriously. We are proud of our team for defying all odds to excel academically. They are truly students first.” On the court, the team is just as impressive. The Livingstone College Men’s Basketball Team finished the season as the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division. The team’s first game is Thursday at 9 p.m. at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Livingstone College’s radio station, WLJZ 107.1 FM, will broadcast Livingstone’s games live from the tournament. Tune in, or listen live through our website, www.livingtone.edu, or via the Tunein app. About Livingstone College Livingstone College, founded and supported by the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, is a private historically black …

First installment to be made this month  SALISBURY – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA), in partnership with the Educational Advancement Foundation, has pledged an endowment in the amount of $100,000 to Livingstone College as a part of the organization’s AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund. Livingstone President Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., will join 31 other presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) on Feb. 28 at the AKA International Headquarters in Chicago to accept the first installment of the award. “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has implemented the AKA-HBCU Endowment Fund with the goal of investing in the future of our young people and the sustainability of our treasured HBCUs,” said Dr. Glenda Glover, AKA Inc. international president. “Our organization has pledged to donate a total of $10 million dollars toward the endowment, and we are honored to provide Livingstone College the first $50,000 during our February event as we celebrate Black History Month and the legacies of all HBCUs.” “Livingstone College will benefit tremendously from this generous gift by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated,” said Jenkins. “Colleges such as Livingstone are in need of more endowments to assist with its sustainability and to ensure that we are always here for the student population we serve. It is said that philanthropy is contagious, so I hope what the AKAs are doing will spread like wildfire to others who are in positions to do the same.” The historic event will feature remarks from Glover as well as a tour of the iconic and recently …

School raises $3.3M in philanthropic support SALISBURY – Livingstone College’s celebration of Founder’s Day went as smoothly as the Tom Joyner Morning Show’s jingle. There weather was balmy and the mood was equally bright as crowds of people filed into Varick Auditorium to near capacity to hear nationally syndicate radio host Tom Joyner deliver the keynote address. His remarks connected the exceptionalism of Livingstone College’s founder, Dr. Joseph Charles Price, to the missing link of today’s survival of black America. “What kind of brother was Price and why did he think he could open up a school and become president of a college? He was a good preacher, a fine orator, a brilliant scholar, but a lot of black men have those credentials,” Joyner said. The difference, he noted, was that Price “demonstrated faith in his people.” “That is something that we used to do; that is something that we stopped doing; and it’s something we need to begin doing again more, or we will continue to lose our churches, our businesses, our media outlets and our HBCUs,” Joyner said. “In other words, if we don’t start demonstrating faith in our people, we will lose our power.” Joyner outlined an action plan to reverse this course: give back, support black businesses and causes, and be intentional about improving the state of Black America. In giving back, Joyner recommended choosing one thing in which you are passionate about and becoming hyper focused on making it work. For him, it is a …

Makes appearance in Salisbury during final year on the air SALISBURY – Nationally syndicated radio host Tom Joyner will be the Founder’s Day speaker at Livingstone College next week as he completes his final year on the air. Founder’s Day will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7, at Varick Auditorium and celebrates the life and legacy of Livingstone’s founder, Dr. Joseph Charles Price. This is an especial occasion for three reasons: Livingstone College has been selected as the Tom Joyner Foundation School of the Month for February; the college is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year; and Joyner is retiring from radio at the end of the year. Also on that evening, Livingstone will induct recipients into the United Negro College Fund “Share Your Love” Hall of Fame. “Founder’s Day is an extraordinary time on campus each year as we celebrate Dr. Price with pomp and circumstance,” said Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., Livingstone president. “Having Tom Joyner here adds an extra special touch to the occasion as we incorporate School of the Month and our milestone anniversary into the celebration, but particularly because he has chosen to spend part of his last year in radio with us.” A legendary radio personality, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Joyner is host of the nationally syndicated radio program, The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and is one of the most recognized media icons of today. A 1970 graduate of Tuskegee Institute, a historically black college, Joyner has used his influence to support …

Mister, Miss Livingstone compete in national magazine contest  

Leon Gatewood of Wadesboro, N.C., is the founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) non-profit HOLLA! (Helping Our Loved ones Learn and Achieve) Community Development Corporation. The organization was formed to address low achievement in the local school system and has since developed into a staple of the community, providing valuable resources and social capital to local students. A 1980 graduate of Livingstone College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in biology, he was inducted into the Livingstone UNCF Hall of Fame in 2018. Click link for video: https://www.pbs.org/video/january-22-2019-fz843v/#_=_