Washington, D.C., June 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and Blavity, Inc., the largest network of platforms and lifestyle brands serving Black millennials, are coming together to co-host a virtual summit at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT, Thursday, June 11, to discuss how higher education institutions and students are handling the COVID-19 pandemic and what students are likely to face as the health crisis continues into the new academic year. The event is open to the public and free to college students.
“The State of the Black College Student: Exploring How Higher Education Can Support A Generation During COVID-19” will have two sessions with panelists from UNCF, HBCU administrators and student advocates. Also set to join the discussion will be noted former South Carolina politician, political commentator, attorney, author and activist Bakari Sellers; Dewey Norwood, senior vice president and relationship manager at Wells Fargo; and HBCU presidents Suzanne Walsh of Bennett College, George T. French of Clark Atlanta University, Kevin Rome of Fisk University and Carmen Walters of Tougaloo College.
The first panel, “What Now? How to Help the Black Student During COVID-19,” will feature a discussion around how higher education institutions can continue to support and provide resources to students while campuses and dorms are closed. The second panel, “How to Engage Students and Prepare for What’s Next,” will talk about how higher education institutions and their partners can successfully prepare students for their next semester, the new academic year and beyond given the current circumstances.
“As this crisis continues—hitting communities of color especially hard—we are looking for ways to make it possible for our students to continue to be engaged, be inspired and to continue to earn the degrees they need and we need them to have,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, UNCF’s president and CEO. “Many of them will be our future doctors, nurses, virologists, pharmacists, lab technicians, paramedics—the frontline personnel who will fight the viruses of the future we will all face. So, it is especially important ensure college education continues, even during such trying times.”
Blavity, Inc., Founder and CEO Morgan DeBaun also noted that “the black community is being forced to fight a pandemic amid a pandemic as we confront the pain of injustice and systematic racism that we have endured for too long. Now more than ever, we need to work with the higher education institutions and advocates to protect and support our black students in navigating this difficult time.”
The event will also offer a unique virtual networking opportunity during the summit for participants. All general admission ticket proceeds will be donated to UNCF to support its minority scholarship and outreach efforts. To register for the event, please go to https://hopin.to/events/the-state-of-the-black-student.
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About UNCF
UNCF (the 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, supports and 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 17 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” ® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNCF.
About Blavity, Inc.
Blavity, Inc. is a venture-funded technology and new media company, which was founded in 2014 with the simple idea of enabling Millennials of Color to tell their own stories. Blavity, Inc. has grown into a market leader for Black media, reaching 30 million millennials per month through its growing brand portfolio. Learn more at blavityinc.com and for continuous updates and news, follow Blavity, Inc. on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @Blavity.