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Yellowhammer State is filled with great African American leaders from the past, present, and future. We thank our West Alabama community partners, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Delta Phi Lambda Chapter, and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Eta Xi Omega Chapter for their continued support.

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Black History Maker of Alabama -Rashinda Reed

 

Rashinda Reed has made history as the first black female head coach of the University of Alabama's Volleyball Team. Reed spent  five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois, making four NCAA Tournament trips with the Fighting Illini. The four postseason appearances include a pair of Sweet 16 berths in 2017 and 2021 and a semifinal run in 2018 as the No. 3 national seed. Working primarily with Illinois' middle blockers, Reed mentored two-time AVCA All-American Ali Bastianelli and two-time All-Big Ten honoree Ashlyn Fleming.

"As the first black female head coach of the program, I am eager to set the example of excellence and strength alongside some of the most respected colleagues and accomplished staff members."

 

Prior to her time at Illinois, Reed was an assistant coach at The University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2016, at Northeastern University in 2015 and Binghamton University from 2011-14. In 2012, the Bearcats won the American East Conference Championship to secure a bid to the NCAA Tournament. She coached seven all-conference honorees at Binghamton, including the 2014 Rookie of the Year and 2012 Setter of the Year, while also serving as the club director of the Whirlwind Volleyball Club managing 14 coaches and 140 athletes.

Reed's first coaching position came at the University of Southern Indiana, mentoring an All-American, two All-Midwest Region performers and two All-Great Lakes Valley Conference honorees from 2009-11. In 2010, the Screaming Eagles reached the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament.

Reed is a 2005 graduate of the University of Georgia, playing for the Bulldogs from 2002-04 after beginning her collegiate career at Southwestern Oregon Community College, garnering All-Northwest Athletic Conference accolades. Following her time in Athens earning a bachelor's degree in psychology, she spent five seasons playing professionally overseas with Austria's VC Tirol Volleyball Club (2006-07), Holland's Plantina Longa Volleyball Club (2007-08) and Finland's PislaPloki Volleyball Club (2008-09). While playing professionally, she studied anthropology and Hungarian at the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary in 2005 and German at Innsbruck University in Innsbruck, Austria in 2006.

Reed is a native of Fairbanks, Alaska and has been a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Assistant Coaches Committee since 2011 and is also a member of the Alliance of Women Coaches.

 

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2022 Black History Makers of Alabama

LOOK: Here are the biggest HBCUs in America

More than 100 historically Black colleges and universities are designated by the U.S. Department of Education, meeting the definition of a school "established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans."

StudySoup compiled the 20 largest historically Black colleges and universities in the nation, based on 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Each HBCU on this list is a four-year institution, and the schools are ranked by the total student enrollment.

Black History Makers of Alabama 2021

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