Washington, D.C., June 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) will host two weekend events in celebration and honor of Juneteenth. On Juneteenth - Friday, June 19 – UNCF will host a virtual roundtable asking “What Does Freedom Look Like?” to a diverse group of panelists spanning the entertainment, business and activism industries. The panelists, including actor Lawrence Robinson, (BET’s Sistas); entrepreneur Luke Lawal Jr. (HBCU Buzz); attorney Angela Minor (Minor & Wilcox); and Jennifer L. Childress, (UNCF Los Angeles Director); will engage in the important and particularly timely conversation about how black people can create a future of freedom, justice, and equality in a socio-political climate marked by both rising activism and violence. Continuing the theme of elevating black voices and perspectives, Saturday, June 20th celebrated DJ Jon Quick will host a Juneteenth HBCU Celebration + Fundraiser on Instagram Live. Join us at 5pm PT /8 pm ET @djjohnquick. Visit UNCF.org/Juneteenth to make a donation to the organization.
Jennifer Childress of UNCF emphasized, “It has never been more important to call our community, our allies, and ourselves to action. In this moment, we must not be satisfied with good words, we must insist on doing the good, hard work of creating a future that welcomes, celebrates, and includes Black people.”
The discussion, moderated by the chairman of the UNCF Los Angeles Emerging Leaders, Ammon Lyle (Walt Disney Co, Howard University Alumnus and UNCF Usher Raymond Scholar) will seek to identify pathways to dismantling the racist systems that exist all around us, and to visualize what, specifically, that future looks like, and what we all can do to get us there.
Sydni Falconer, who co-hosts of UNCF’s series, Conversations for the Culture alongside Ms. Childress, added, “We know how important it is to empower the next generation of change-makers. We are excited to have their voices, vision, and energy leading us on the anniversary of this historic day.”
Both today’s panel and Saturday’s event have a distinctly millennial energy, with UNCF’s young leaders taking the reigns of the weekend. The public can watch the livestream on Facebook.com/UNCF at 4pm PT / 7pm ET.
About Conversations #ForTheCulture
Conversations for the Culture is an ongoing series and is a joint project of UNCF Los Angeles + UNCF New York. Join them as they talk with brilliant minds from within the rich tapestry of the HBCU + UNCF community. They come from the worlds of business and sports, academia and art, law and medicine— and they are changing the world. These are the game-changers, the rule-breakers, the muckrakers. Uplifting. Provocative. Real. Conversations for the Culture.
About the Hosts
Jennifer Childress leads the work of UNCF Los Angeles and has spent her career in service of long-term, sustainable impact in New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. Follow UNCF Los Angeles: @uncf_la on IG + UNCFLA on FB.
Sydni Falconer leads social media, development, and alumni + advocate engagement for UNCF’s New York office. She is passionate about using technology to create impact. Follow UNCF New York: @uncfny on IG + UNCFNY on FB.
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.”® Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter @UNCF.
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