Mayor Purzycki Announces Details of Wilmington’s 6th Annual HBCU Week and College Fair
September 14, 2022
Mayor Mike Purzycki and Wilmington’s HBCU Ambassador, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, today announced details of Wilmington’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week [hbcuweek.org], which will be held Wednesday, September 21 through Sunday, September 25. This year’s events include a concert, middle school college tour, panel discussion, college fair, comedy show, block party, and the battle of the bands over the course of five days.
The title sponsor of the 2022 HBCU Week is the City of Wilmington and the exclusive HBCU sponsor is Delaware State University [desu.edu]. This year, 25 HBCUs and 10 corporations will participate, enabling students to engage with college recruiters and corporate partners one-on-one to discuss admission, scholarships, and internships. And for the first time, the 2022 HBCU Week will include the presentation of a $10,000 Mike Purzycki Changemaker Scholarship to a student who lives in Wilmington and has committed to an HBCU. The application link for the Changemaker Scholarship will open on September 23. To apply and review qualifying criteria visit www.HBCUWeek.org [hbcuweek.org].
HBCU Week was launched by Ashley Christopher in 2017, under the leadership of Mayor Purzycki, to expose local high school students to the history, pride, and academic offerings of HBCU colleges and universities, and to encourage young people to attain a new level of educational achievement. Since 2017, Mayor Purzycki and Mr. Smith said today, participating HBCUs have granted over 3,500 admission opportunities to local students and have awarded more than $23 million in scholarships.
“HBCU Week has been extremely successful because of an outpouring of support from local students who crave more educational opportunities,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Each year we’ve expanded the program to include a concert, panel discussions, the HBCU Battle of the Bands, and – the highlight of the week – an HBCU College Fair that has continued to grow since its launch in 2017. Stephen A. Smith and Earvin “Magic” Johnson brought national prominence to HBCU Week in 2019 [youtube.com], for which we will be forever grateful. Now in our 6th year, I am especially proud and privileged to be able to offer a new $10,000 Changemaker Scholarship to a student from Wilmington who has committed to an HBCU. HBCU Week 2022 promises to be a special event, and I can’t wait for our young people to learn about all of the possibilities and opportunities that HBCUs have to offer them.”
This year’s HBCU Week schedule, as presented below, features a College Fair, a comedy show featuring Michael Blackson [facebook.com], a Hip Hop and R&B concert featuring Fabolous [fabolous.com] and Mya [myamya.com], a panel discussion, the wildly popular HBCU Battle of the Bands, and more.
For more information, tickets, or to register for any event, visit www.HBCUWeek.org [hbcuweek.org].
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN’s First Take and Mayor Mike Purzycki greet one another during a News Conference Friday, June 21, 2019, at 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington Delaware. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
HBCU Week: September 21st – September 25th, 2022
Wednesday, September 21st
Event – HBCU Happy Hour
Location – DECO Wilmington [decowilmington.com], 111 West 10th Street
Time – 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Event – Hip Hop and R&B Concert featuring Fabolous and Mya
Location – The Queen [thequeenwilmington.com], 500 North Market Street
Time – 8 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)
Thursday, September 22nd
Event – DSU Middle School College Tour
Location – Delaware State University, 1200 North Dupont Highway, Dover
Time – 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Event – “My HBCU Experience” Panel Discussion
Location – The Queen, 500 North Market Street
Time – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday, September 23rd
Event – HBCU College Fair*
Location – The Chase Fieldhouse [thechasefieldhouse.com], 401 Garasches Lane
Time – 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Participating Colleges and Universities
Alabama A&M University; American Baptist College; Benedict College; Bethune Cookman University; Bowie State University; Cheyney University; Clark Atlanta University; Clinton College; Coppin State University; Delaware State University; Hampton University; Howard University; Spelman College; Lane College; Lincoln University (PA); Livingstone College; Morgan State University; North Carolina A&T; Southern University and A&M; St. Augustine’s University; Tougaloo College; University of DC; University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Virginia State University; Voorhees University; West Virginia State University
Event – Comedy Show
Location – The Queen, 500 North Market Street
Time – 8 p.m. (Doors open 7 p.m.)
Saturday, September 24th
Event – HBCU Block Party
Location –10th Street between Market and Orange streets
Time – 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 25th
Event – HBCU Battle of the Bands, featuring Howard University, Virginia State University, and Delaware State University
Location – Frawley Stadium [delawarestadiumcorp.com], 801 Shipyard Drive
Time – 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Gates open at 12:30 p.m.)
*Since its inception in 2017, the College Fair has resulted in more than 3,500 on-the-spot college acceptances and more than $23 million in scholarships awarded by HBCUs and corporate partners.
Full list of HBCU Week 2022 Sponsors
Title Sponsor: The City of Wilmington
Major Sponsor: Salesforce
Signature Sponsor: FOSSI
Exclusive HBCU Sponsor: Delaware State University
Participating Sponsors: Capital One, Bank of America, AstraZeneca, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Dupont, AmeriHealth Caritas
Contact:
Ashley Christopher, Esq. Achristopher@hbcuweek.org