UPDATE: Hampton University confirms that Theo Smalling died from his injuries. Click here for more information.

The captain of the Hampton University basketball team is in critical condition after being shot in a club parking lot.

Theo Smalling, a 22-year-old senior majoring in sports management, was accidentally shot by Domonique Smith early Saturday morning. Smith is charged with one count of Reckless Handling of a Firearm.

I’m sure no one on the campus of Hampton University, one of the nation’s leading Historical Black College and Universities (HBCU’s) expected their annual Homecoming Pageant to become national news.

But when a non-African-American woman is crowned Homecoming Queen then writes a letter to the President of the United States complaining about the racial overtones on campus…it becomes national news.

Nikole Churchilll, a 22-year-old senior nursing major became the first non-African-American to be named Ms. Hampton in the history of the institution on Friday.

While her victory has split the campus with some saying she does not deserve the award because of her Guam and Italian ancestry as well as attending classes at the Virgina Beach satellite campus instead of the main campus, her letter to the President is seemingly causing the most angst.

In her letter to Obama, written Sunday, she said her victory was the best moment in here life, however the attitudes of some students on campus has sullied her victory.

“It would be much easier to say that possibly some were not accepting of the news because I wasn’t the most qualified contestant; however, the true reason for the disapproval was because of the color of my skin. I am not African American.”

Churchill, like Obama, is a Hawaii native and is hoping the President will speak to students about racism.

There has been no response from the White House. (The Administration is a little busy right now with dealing with two wars, health care and the economy.)

Being a proud HBCU graduate myself, I’ve seen enough examples to know Homecoming pageants always come with some controversy, but get over it. The judges voted for the woman they believe to be the most qualified. There is no rule against a student attending classes on a satellite campus being Homecoming Queen.

Did she overreact by writing the President? Perhaps, but she is an American citizen with the right to contact her elected officials at her desire.

By the way, the coronation is Oct. 21.

UPDATE: Churchill Apologizes for Letter

Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has authorized $150 million in bonds to help fund a state-of-the-art cancer-relief center at historically Black Hampton University. The money will go toward constructing and equipping the university’s Proton Therapy Institute, which houses a new proton-beam treatment, research and educational facility. “The Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute will be a tremendous asset for the Commonwealth, and I am very pleased we found a way to support its important work,” Kaine said. “The research and treatments at the Institute will offer life-saving therapy to cancer patients, and keep the Commonwealth on the cutting-edge of biological and medical research.” The $150 million in bonds will be issued through the Virginia Small Business Financing Authority.

Julian Bond decides to stay as NAACP chairman. Long-time civil rights veteran Julian Bond says the outpouring of support in the three weeks after announcing he would not seek another term as chairman of the NAACP, forced him to change his mind. Bond, 68, said in an interview on “The Tom Joyner Morning Show” on Tuesday that he was flooded with calls from board members and others asking him to remain at the helm of the civil rights organization, reports The Associated Press.  Read the rest here.
 

Hampton’s band will perform in the inaugural parade. Hampton University’s band, “The Force,” has been selected as one of three Virginia groups to march in the Inaugural Parade on Jan. 20, event organizers said Monday. The group was one of roughly 1,400 bands, acts and drill teams who applied for the honor. The parade, which follows the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, will travel from the U.S. Capitol, along Pennsylvania Avenue, to the White House.