The Sway | May 2026

As we close out the school year, I reflect on my opportunity to go to the Motherland - to go to the soil the soles of my ancestor’s feet cross before facing the uncertainty of their futures - Ghana, a land rich in people, culture, and history. I am thankful to return and see its beauty firsthand. The ten days I spent in the country as a part of the HIST 890 course broadened how I view Ghana, the continent as a whole, and how I interact with sites of public memory. 

At first, I wasn't sure what to expect. Would what I read or heard prior match the experience I had? Would it feel like everything clicked into place? Would I feel like an outsider? An alien in what we colloquially call the Motherland? Read more...

By Anna De Cheke Qualls | Phillip Warfield, a newly minted 2026 PhD graduate from Howard University’s Department of History, has always been a man on the move. Born in Tucson, Arizona, his childhood was a nomadic journey through states like New Mexico, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana. "I grew up a bit of a nomad," Warfield notes. This constant relocation, combined with a fierce love for '90s history-based video games and cartoons like Where in the U.S.A. is Carmen Sandiego?, planted the early seeds for his life's work. "Between video games surrounding history and my own nomadic life, I naturally grew to learning anything about wherever I was," Warfield reflects. Read more...

The Howard University community is mourning the loss of Dr. Jimisha Iman Relerford, a brilliant scholar, dedicated educator, and multi-talented administrator who passed away on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at Virginia Hospital Center.

The Graduate School and its Dean Dana A. Williams, PhD announced her passing with tremendous sadness, honoring a woman whose impactful career came full circle at her alma mater. In profound recognition of her trailblazing scholarly achievements and indelible contributions to the field of English, the Graduate School held a hood and degree presentation in her honor before announcing her as the first student to receive the Doctor of Philosophy degree on May 10, 2026. Just as she lived her life, Dr. Relerford was surrounded by a loving circle of family and friends in her final moments.fe, Dr. Relerford was surrounded by a loving circle of family and friends in her final moments.

Dr. Relerford’s academic journey culminated with the successful defense of her dissertation, titled “Sista Satirists: Black Women Writing Humor and Satire across Cultures,” on December 3, 2025. Read more...

As we mark the close of another academic year, we do so with both pride and reflection.

This year’s graduating class represented more than 40 states and U.S. territories and 15 nations—an extraordinary testament to the reach and resonance of our Graduate School. We awarded 6 graduate certificates, 53 master’s degrees, and 92 PhDs, each representing not only academic achievement, but perseverance, purpose, and promise.

Every graduating class at Howard is impressive. This one is no exception. Our graduates have done incredible work and have remarkable futures ahead of them. They leave us having asked bold questions and produced scholarship that matters far beyond the academy. From public health to national policy, from technology to culture, their dissertations address some of the most urgent challenges of our time. Read more...

Nate R. McGill, a Howard PhD student, has officially stepped into the role of coordinator for the District of Columbia Public School's HBCU Persist program. In this position, McGill will oversee targeted support for DCPS alumni attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities, further strengthening the program's mission to drive post-secondary success. The program is dedicated to empowering and supporting graduates of DC Public Schools on their journey through higher education. 

Dr. Brandale Mills Cox has been accepted to the Nasdag Entrepreneurial Center's Milestone Circles Program. This 12-week program helps U.S.-based founders build, scale, and lead with purpose. This community provides a dedicated space to learn alongside like-minded entrepreneurs across America who share a passion for building something greater than themselves. Read more...

Dr. Raymond J. Butcher, from Howard University's Chemistry Department recently published "Amino acid derived chiral thioureas: design, synthesis and applications as NMR resolving agents for enantioselective recognition" in the Royal Chemical Society's journal.

This article describes the creation of a new chemical "sensor" or "tester" designed to tell the difference between two versions of the same molecule.To understand why this matters, we first need to understand a concept called Chirality. Many molecules in nature come in two forms that are mirror images of each other—exactly like your left and right hands. They are made of the same "fingers" (atoms), but they cannot be perfectly overlapped.

In biology, this is a huge deal. Your body is like a right-handed glove; a "right-handed" medicine might fit perfectly and cure a headache, but the "left-handed" version of that same medicine might be toxic or do nothing at all. Read more...