Rooted in Mission, Rising in Impact: The Department of Political Science Carries Tougaloo's Legacy Forward

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.