Author: Michel Martin

NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with outgoing UNCF President and CEO Michael Lomax about the role Historically Black Colleges and Universities play in American life. Transcript MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: Remember, a mind is a terrible thing to waste? That’s the iconic ad campaign from the 1970s for the United Negro College Fund, an organization of private historically Black colleges and universities. Michael Lomax didn’t come up with that phrase. But he’s worked to make it a reality for the last 22 years as president and CEO of UNCF, which has helped hundreds of thousands of students access higher education at institutions…

People walk through a gate as they exit Harvard Yard on the campus of Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on April 15, 2025. JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images/AFP hide caption toggle caption JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images/AFP Despite President Trump’s threats, Harvard University is standing its ground against the administration’s demands. Within days the Trump administration has cut over $2 billion in federal funding for the university and threatened to revoke its tax-exempt status. Nikolas Bowie, a professor at Harvard Law, stands with the university’s decision. He says it’s important for institutions to determine what is taught on their…