From Yale's halls to Mississippi's streets, Tougaloo College students and faculty are proving once again that this institution does not simply study justice — it practices it.
May 29, 2026 ● Department of Political Science ● Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program
Photo: Department of Political Science & Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program, Tougaloo College
There are institutions that teach the history of justice, and there are institutions that make it. Tougaloo College has always been the latter. In the summer of 2026, the Department of Political Science and the Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program have offered the world another unmistakable reminder of that truth — delivered not in a single moment, but across three distinct and extraordinary achievements that together tell one story: this college is alive, it is leading, and it is not finished.
In the weeks since spring commencement, Tougaloo students have been accepted into one of the nation's most prestigious faith-and-policy programs at Yale University, mobilized voting rights activism across two Southern states, and seen their department's faculty leader earn a distinguished national fellowship honoring the legacy of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. Each achievement stands on its own. Together, they form a portrait of an institution in full flower — scholarship and service, faith and fight, pedagogy and praxis, all alive at once.
First from Tougaloo: Three Scholars Accepted into Yale's HBCU Moral Fusion Scholars Program
Tougaloo College proudly celebrates the historic acceptance of scholars Terry Rogers, Joe Moore, and Nakia Brazil into the HBCU Moral Fusion Scholars Program, an initiative of the Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy at Yale Divinity School. As the inaugural Tougaloo College students selected for this distinguished program, these scholars carry with them something that cannot be manufactured or mimicked — the weight and the gift of this institution's legacy.
Their participation in the May 26–31 Summer Immersion Institute at Yale represents far more than an academic achievement. It reflects the enduring tenacity of Tougaloo students who have long stood at the intersection of scholarship, justice, faith, and social transformation. The Moral Fusion Scholars Program prepares emerging leaders to confront the moral crises of our time through theological reflection, civic engagement, ethical leadership, and community-centered advocacy — and it chose three students from Tougaloo College to be among its first HBCU participants.
At a moment when higher education and democratic institutions are being tested, the presence of Tougaloo scholars in spaces such as Yale's Center for Public Theology and Public Policy affirms that our students are not only prepared to engage the future — they are prepared to shape it.
Terry, Joe, and Nakia embody the spirit of this work through their leadership within classrooms, communities, organizing spaces, and public discourse. They illuminate what it means to carry forward Tougaloo College's historic charge to truth, justice, and liberation — and they do so not as heirs of a fading legacy, but as active agents of its continuation. Tougaloo College congratulates these scholars on this auspicious achievement and looks forward to witnessing the indelible impact they will continue to make.
Answering the Moral Call: Tougaloo Scholars Lead the Rapid Response Days of Action
Tougaloo College has never produced passive observers of history. From the Tougaloo Nine to the Freedom Riders who gathered on this campus, from the sit-ins at the Woolworth's lunch counter to the legal battles fought by Tougaloo's own, generation after generation of students has understood that scholarship without action is incomplete. This generation is no different.
Aznii Welchlin · Ladarius Lee · Qasim Abdul-Tawwab · Clarissa Coleman · Jolie Stallworth · Elizabeth Stallworth · Terry Rogers
Tougaloo College proudly recognizes scholars Aznii Welchlin, Clarissa Coleman, Ladarius Lee, Jolie and Elizabeth Stallworth, Qasim Abdul-Tawwab, and Terry Rogers for their extraordinary leadership, activism, and unwavering commitment to civic engagement during the Mississippi Rapid Response Voting Rights Day of Action and the Alabama Voting Rights Day of Action.
During the march and rally at the Jackson Convention Complex, Aznii Welchlin emerged as a fearless and commanding student leader, guiding the march to the rally with clarity, conviction, and moral force. Her chants reverberated through the streets as declarations of collective humanity, democratic participation, and public resistance against injustice. She carried herself with the type of courage and political clarity that Tougaloo has historically cultivated in generations of scholar-activists.
Their willingness to engage across state lines reflects a broader understanding that justice work cannot remain confined to isolated geographies. It requires collective movement-building, regional solidarity, and sustained public engagement.
Qasim Abdul-Tawwab and Ladarius Lee also demonstrated exceptional leadership throughout the mobilization efforts, contributing to the intellectual and organizational energy necessary to sustain meaningful civic engagement and movement-based advocacy. Together with Aznii Welchlin and Terry Rogers, they extended their activism beyond Mississippi, participating in the Alabama Day of Action on Saturday, May 16th.
Tougaloo College celebrates these scholar-activists for continuing the College's historic legacy of activism, leadership, and public service. In an era marked by political exhaustion, democratic fragility, and social polarization, they remind us that the spirit of Tougaloo activism remains alive, disciplined, and unapologetically committed to community transformation.
Dr. Lawren M. Long Named UNCF SNCC Faculty Fellow
The SNCC — the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee — was born in the same soil and same struggle that shaped Tougaloo College. Its members sat in, marched, organized, and risked their lives to build a more just democracy. Today, the UNCF SNCC Faculty Fellows Program carries that legacy forward through faculty who lead with the same conviction. Tougaloo College is proud to announce that one of its own now joins their ranks.
Dr. Lawren M. Long — Interim Chair, Department of Political Science & Director, Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program, Tougaloo College
Tougaloo College congratulates Dr. Lawren M. Long, Interim Chair of the Department of Political Science and Director of the Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program, on her acceptance into the UNCF SNCC Faculty Fellows Program. This distinguished fellowship recognizes faculty leaders committed to advancing transformative teaching, movement-based learning, civic engagement, and historically grounded political education rooted in the enduring legacy of SNCC.
Through this fellowship, Dr. Long will engage in advanced training centered on community inquiry, movement history, public dialogue, student-centered pedagogy, and the responsible integration of emerging tools — including artificial intelligence — within historically grounded educational frameworks. The program culminates in the 2026 SNCC Legacy Project Movement History Summit, bringing together scholars, organizers, archivists, and educators committed to preserving and extending the lessons of movement-building and democratic struggle.
The work unfolding at Tougaloo College is not peripheral to national conversations surrounding democracy, justice, and education. It is central to them.
Under Dr. Long's leadership, Tougaloo students have engaged in advocacy campaigns, AI and public policy research, civic mobilization efforts, movement-centered political education, and national leadership initiatives designed to prepare the next generation of scholar-activists and public leaders. Her acceptance into this fellowship reflects Tougaloo College's continued investment in rigorous political education, civic leadership, public policy innovation, and community-engaged scholarship — and affirms that the legacy of SNCC finds a fitting home here.
The stories of Terry Rogers, Joe Moore, and Nakia Brazil at Yale. The activism of Aznii Welchlin, Ladarius Lee, Qasim Abdul-Tawwab, Clarissa Coleman, Jolie and Elizabeth Stallworth, and Terry Rogers in the streets of Jackson and Montgomery. The scholarly commitment of Dr. Lawren M. Long, stepping into a national fellowship born from the movement that once gathered on this very campus. These are not coincidences. They are the fruit of an institution that has always believed education and justice belong together — and has never stopped acting on that belief.
Tougaloo College is, and has always been, more than a college. It is a tradition of courage. And that tradition lives on.
About the Department of Political Science & Eric H. Holder Jr. Public Policy Program: Tougaloo College's Department of Political Science is committed to developing scholar-activists prepared to engage the civic, policy, and justice challenges of their generation. For more information or media inquiries, contact the Office of Communications & External Relations.
