Diverse Education News October 8, 2020 8 HBCUs Receive Millions to Expand COVID-19 Testing Facilities on Campus Eight historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have received $15 million in funding by the Thermo Fisher Scientific to expand and establish on-campus COVID-19 testing facilities, as reported by The Tennessean<https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/american-south/2020/10/08/hbcu-expand-covid-testing-after-receiving-millions-lab-equipment/3593711001/>. This funding and expansion are part of The Just Project, which seeks to address the COVID-19 pandemic in communities of color - especially since they are disproportionately affected by the virus. In fact, Black Americans have experienced the highest COVID-19 mortality rate (97.9 deaths per 100,000) in the country, more than twice the mortality rate for white Americans, according to analysis by APM Research Lab. As of Oct. 5, donations were given to Howard University College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Xavier University of Louisiana, Hampton University, Tuskegee University, Florida A&M University, and North Carolina A&T University. More colleges are expected to receive donations as well. "Our first priority is to ensure a safe and healthy environment on our campuses," said Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, president and dean of Morehouse School of Medicine, in a statement. "The support we receive from Thermo Fisher Scientific through The Just Project allows us to offer easy access to COVID-19 testing that is so important to getting our students back to school safely." SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> Honor the ancestors, honor the children and those yet to come. Building Capacity for Humanities Special Collections at HBCUs - Become an ally and partner with us to protect, preserve and share a more authentic record of American history. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/humanities-2019.html for more information. Follow this link http://hbculibraries.org/ and click on the Donate Now button to invest in this project. Your support is appreciated. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/