News Bites From Across South Carolina And The Nation

**DNC Chair Jaime Harrison Talks Potentially Historical Arkansas Election**

Jaime Harrison, the chairperson for the Democratic National Committee, visited Little Rock on Wednesday May 18, 2022 for Think Rubix’ ‘Black Leaders at Lunch’ event, at which Harrison was the featured special guest. Shortly before the luncheon, which was catered by local favorite YGFBFKitchen, Harrison sat down with Arkansas Money & Politics to discuss the upcoming Arkansas statewide elections.

With early voting for the primary election underway and seven state executive offices up for election in Arkansas this year, the gubernatorial race is one that will likely be of historical significance. With Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) and Dr. Chris Jones (D) running, there is the distinct possibility that Arkansas could see its first woman governor or its first African American governor.

**All-Black New Orleans Graduating Class Earns $9.2 million in Scholarships with 100% Acceptance Rate**

New Orleans’ St. Augustine High School, which accomplished many firsts for African Americans during the 1950s and 1960s, again enjoyed a historical moment for its 2022 graduating class.

The entire graduating class at the all-boys college preparatory school received acceptance to college, earning more than $9.2 million in scholarship offers.

As noted on the Black excellence blog, Because of Them We Can, one of the mothers of a St. Augustine graduate, Twitter user @Kay_Jeaux, took to the social media platform to share a clip of the class of 2022 as they celebrated graduation in cap and gown alongside a second line band.

Captioned under the clip were a few receipts for the graduating class.

“It’s late, but I don’t care. The world deserves to see this Black boy joy. Congratulations to THE St. Augustine High School class of 2022. 100% college acceptance. $9.2M in scholarships. Straight out of the 7th ward of New Orleans,” Jeaux tweeted.

The blog pointed out that the post sparked widespread praise for the graduating class, having been viewed already more than 300,000 times.

According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the Seventh Ward, where St. Augustine High School sits, was once considered the quintessential Creole neighborhood in New Orleans.

Added Hannah White, another Twitter user: “This just made my whole day! Those young men battled hard to do so very well and now they can celebrate. #NewOrleans celebrates you! Congrats to the Class of 2022.”

**DHEC: No known cases of Monkeypox in SC; Monitoring Of Close Contacts Ends**

The South Carolina Department of Health of Environmental Control (DHEC) says it has ended its monitoring of two close contacts who were on a flight with an individual from the United Kingdom who tested positive for monkeypox.

The close contacts were being observed in the Midlands region of the state and remained asymptomatic through the 21-day monitoring period, which began May 5 and ended Wednesday at noon, according to DHEC.

There have been no confirmed cases of monkeypox in South Carolina.

**The First Black Female Architect To Earn Doctorate From The University Of Hawaii At MĀNOA Aims To Diversify The Industry**

Danielle McCleave, the first Black woman to earn a Doctor of Architecture professional degree from the University of Hawaii at Mānoa School of Architecture.

McCleave’s degree serves as a milestone within the industry where Black people make up just 2% of 116,242 licensed architects, and Black women represent only 0.4%, the school notes. With her degree, McCleave is looking forward to diversifying the industry and inspiring more Black women to enter the field.

“When I first found out I would be the first Black woman to obtain this degree, I was hit with a variety of emotions,” McCleave said.

McCleave received her bachelor’s in sculpture and painting from Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, before attending UH Mānoa. McCleave won the Hawaiʻi Architectural Foundation award for her thesis on housing, titled “Redesigning the Hood: Using Culturally Aware Wellness as a Tool to Inform Architectural Design,” while in the doctorate program, and stressed the need for more equitable housing and culturally aware design practices in architecture.

“I was also proud to have been here, this program is not easy, and I had to overcome a lot to accomplish it, but I was also saddened that in 2022, there are still firsts like this to be had,” McCleave said.