News

Johnson C. Smith University celebrated our scholars in Brayboy Gymnasium, as students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, family, and friends gathered to recognize the academic achievements of our highest-performing students. 

Hundreds gathered inside Brayboy Gymnasium on March 4, 2026 for the annual Johnson C. Smith University Health Fair and Career Extravaganza. Organized by Dr. Robert Lindsey, JCSU Professor of Health and Human Performance, the event provided on site health screenings, wellness education, and career recruitment as a one-stop-shop extravaganza that drew students, faculty, staff, alumni, neighbors and droves of community partners.

Inside a ballroom filled with  crowns and confidence, the CIAA contingent of athletes, students, faculty and administrators reflected on women's worth on the professional landscape. The theme of the 2026  CIAA Women’s Empowerment Brunch was, “She’s Coming Home."

Otis Stroud was the voice of the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls for nearly fifty years, 1977-2025.  The voice echoed throughout the Eddie McGirt Field and across the court of the Brayboy Gymnasium. It was deep, resonant, and resolute: scoring history-in-action.  At the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Stroud energized crowds, calling championship games for more than 30 years, turning competitive matchups into near cinematic experiences: action-packed, dramatic and consequential.

As the CIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament brings championship excitement to Baltimore, a parallel celebration of literacy and youth achievement took place February 26, 2026 at Federal Hill Preparatory School through the CIAA and Friends Literacy Circle. Johnson C. Smith University was front and center. President Valerie Kinloch was on site.

The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation’s oldest Historically Black Athletic Conference, announces the brackets for its 2026 Food Lion CIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament. The single elimination tournament will be held at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, Tuesday, February 24 through Saturday, February 28. Championship Saturday will feature the women’s title game at 1 p.m. followed by the men’s championship at 4 p.m. 

Get free admission to the Charlotte Museum of History, a Smithsonian Affiliate, and celebrate Charlotte’s Black history and culture on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the museum’s ninth African American Heritage Festival featuring exhibits from JCSU. 

The bright lights from Johnson C. Smith University came across the field at the 2026 Allstate Legacy Bowl in New Orleans Louisiana. When many of the fans saw the JCSU coaches and players, they started chanting, “the champs are here! The champs are here! 

A busy weekend for Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls athletics, as seven teams will be in action over the next four days.



Events kick off on Friday as the JCSU softball team travels to Hardeeville, South Carolina, to participate in the Sand Shark Invitational hosted by the University of South Carolina Beaufort. The Golden Bulls will take on the Sand Sharks, the host school and UNC Pembroke in the three-day event. The single game will take place at the Richard Gray Sports Complex. The softball team is looking for their first win on the season after falling to North Grenville, 23-1 and 15-0.
 


Before careers, before marriage, before having daughters and decades together, Kemuel Murray, Class of 2000, and Eunice Emmanuel(Murray) , Class of 1998,  were two students with singular paths finding their way across the sprawling campus of Johnson C. Smith University. Eunice was a business major with a concentration in accounting.  She had her eyes on the prize, graduating with honors.  Kemuel was a history major, ready to learn and mingle.