Philadelphia's Mann Center to host its first HBCU festival
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Posted By: S. Moore on May 18, 2023 Teens, college students and adults will have an opportunity to experience the academic offerings, history and pride of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through a daylong series of events. The Mann Center for Performing Arts will host its first HBCU Festival Presented by TD Bank Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. across its 22-acre campus. The event will be held every two years in the future. “There are 105 HBCUs in this country and there are still a lot of students who don’t know that is an option for them for college,” said Naomi Gonzalez, chief education community engagement officer and vice president of the Mann Center. “A lot of times kids see HBCU culture represented on TV or in a show so we’re bringing it to them and bringing it to Philly,” she said. The daylong event will feature a college and career fair with representatives from 27 HBCUs and 10 companies in which students and adults will have an opportunity to discuss admission, scholarships, internships and job opportunities. Among the participating colleges and universities include Benedict College (Columbia, S.C.); Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Cheyney University (Pa.); Community College of Philadelphia; Coppin State University (Baltimore, Md.); Delaware State University (Dover); Fisk University (Nashville, Tenn.); Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Fla.); Grambling State University (La.); Howard University (Washington, D.C.); Jackson State University (Miss.); Lincoln University (Pa.); Morehouse College (Atlanta, Ga.); Morgan State University (Baltimore); North Carolina Central University (Durham, N.C.); Tuskegee University (Ala.); Wilberforce University (Ohio) and Winston-Salem State University (N.C.). In addition to the college and career fair, the event will also include concerts and performances from award winning artists, drumlines, mass choirs, marching bands and cheer squads. One of the festival’s performing groups will be the Jeremy Winston Chorale International. The chorale was founded by Philadelphia native Jeremy Winston, who is also the group’s chorus director. Winston will teach a free masterclass on chorale singing at the festival. The drumline entertainment group Xclusive Percussion will also teach a class in drumline. Comedian, host and actress Pretty Vee, three-time Emmy nominee Terrance J and international DJ Jae Murphy will be the special guests. “The college fair will have representatives from 27 HBCUs,” Gonzalez said. “We will have multiple organizations on site to talk about scholarships and opportunities like the United Negro College Fund and PhillyGoes2College. We have corporate partners who will be talking about jobs with attendees. “We will have representation from the Divine Nine organizations so that kids can learn about the different fraternities and sororities,” she said. “The vendor village will feature our local vendors and businesses. “Two hundred HBCU students from around the country will be performing at this festival. Those performances will entail marching bands, step troupes and choirs. For the finale of the event, we will have a Battle of the Bands and a choir singing together,” she added. The festival will be preceded Thursday with a ticketed performance by the Grammy-nominated and Emmy award-winning Morgan State University choir with the Philadelphia Orchestra and music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. On Friday, a panel discussion on the future of HBCUs will be held with the presidents of Cheyney University, Lincoln University, Delaware State University, Community College of Philadelphia and Graduate Philadelphia. The discussion, which is not open to the public, will be moderated by the president and general manager of NBC Ric Harris. “The concert with Morgan State University choir and the Philadelphia Orchestra is the kickoff event for a three-day celebration,” Gonzalez said. “They will be performing the beautiful Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. The next day we will have a panel discussion on the state of HBCUs,” she said. “What are some of the things they’re facing, what are the needs and what do we need to know? “While that event is private, the conversation will be available to the public,” she added. “The culminating event of the celebration is the HBCU festival, which will be a day full of activities, performances and music. We want kids to know that there are so many options for education and that HBCUs should definitely be on the docket,” she said. The HBCU festival is free, but registration is required. For more information. visit, www.manncenter.org/hbcu. SOURCE The Philadelphia Tribune If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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