Mayor Purzycki Announces Details of Wilmington’s 5th Annual HBCU Week and College Fair
September 17, 2021
Since 2017, participating HBCUs have granted over 3,000 admission opportunities to local students and have awarded more than $18.5 million in scholarships
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] activities, which includes both an in-person and virtual HBCU College Fair to take place over two days. HBCU Week begins Sunday, September 26 and will continue through Saturday, October 3. The presenting sponsors of the 2021 HBCU Week are the City and Barclays [banking.barclaysus.com].
Mayor Mike Purzycki share remarks prior to Stephen A. Smith keynote speech at the 2019 HBCU celebration dinner, Friday, Mar. 01, 2019, at Hotel duPont in Wilmington, DE. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
This year, 56 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.
HBCU Week was launched by Ashley Christopher in 2017, under the leadership of Mayor Mike Purzycki, to expose local high school students to the history, pride, and academic offerings of these colleges and universities, and to encourage young people to reach a new level of educational achievement. Since 2017, Mayor Purzycki and Mr. Smith noted that participating HBCUs have granted over 3,000 admission opportunities to local students and have awarded more than $18.5 million in scholarships.
“HBCU Week has been extremely successful because of an outpouring of support for our 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 – a College Fair that has grown into two-day, in-person as well as virtual event.
Stephen A. Smith and Earvin “Magic” Johnson brought national prominence to HBCU Week in 2019 for which we will be forever grateful. Our 5th year will see us return to in-person events while observing the latest CDC guideline, staying mindful that we are not out of the pandemic just yet. Nevertheless, we look forward to an energetic and productive week for everyone involved.”
The cast of ESPN First take with Stephen A. Smith, Max Kellerman, Molly Qerim with special guest Magic Johnson broadcasted live from the 76ers Fieldhouse Friday, Sept. 20, 2019, in Wilmington, DE. Photo by Saquan Stimpson
This year’s HBCU Week schedule, as presented below, features a first-ever combined in-person and virtual College Fair, a 5K Walk/Run, coverage by the ESPN First Take show with Stephen A. Smith [facebook.com], an HBCU Happy Hour, a comedy show hosted by Wanda Sykes [wandasykes.com] and an R&B concert featuring Wale [walemusic.com] and Queen Naija [iamqueennaija.com], a panel discussion with DSU’s Dr. Tony Allen and Jamila Mustafa, the return of the HBCU Battle of the Bands, and more.
For tickets or to register for any event, visit www.HBCUWeek.org [hbcuweek.org].
HBCU Week: September 26th – October 3, 2021
Sunday, September 26th
Event – HBCU Day Party
Location – DECO, 10th and Orange streets
Time – 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Monday, September 27th
Event – 5K Walk/Run
Location – Brandywine Park
Time – 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. (Check-In starts at 5:30 p.m.)
Tuesday, September 28th
Event – DSU Middle School College Tour
Location – Delaware State University
Time – 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wednesday, September 29th
Event #1 – HBCU Week Coverage on ESPN’s “First Take”
Location – South Street Seaport Pier 17 Studio, New York City
Time – 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Event #2 – HBCU Happy Hour
Location – DECO, 10th and Orange streets
Time – 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.)
Event #3 – R&B Concert featuring Wale and Queen Naija
Location – The Queen, 5th and Market streets
Time – 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Thursday, September 30th
Event – “My HBCU Experience” Panel Discussion
Location – The Queen, 5th and Market streets
Time – 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Friday, October 1st
Event #1 – Live College Fair*
Location – The Chase Fieldhouse, 401 Garasches Lane
Time – 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Event #2 – Virtual College Fair
Location – Ugo Virtual platform
Time – 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Event #3 – HBCU Lunch and Learn Series
Location – The Chase Fieldhouse, 401 Garasches Lane (Mezzanine Level)
Time – 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
Event #4 – Comedy Show Hosted by Wanda Sykes
Location – The Queen, 5th and Market streets
Time – 8 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Local students participated in the second annual HBCU college fair in Wilmington, DE. Photo By Saquan Stimpson
*Since its inception in 2017, the College Fair has resulted in more than 3,000 on-the-spot college acceptances and more than $18.5 million in scholarships awarded by HBCUs and corporate partners.
Saturday, October 2nd
Event – Virtual College Fair
Location – Ugo Virtual platform
Time – 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Event – HBCU Battle of the Bands
Location – Frawley Stadium, 801 Shipyard Drive
Time – 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (Gates open at 12:30 p.m.)
Sunday, October 3rd
Event – HBCU Block Party
Location – DECO, 10th and Orange streets
Time – 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Full list of HBCU Week 2021 Sponsors
Major Sponsors: The City of Wilmington and Barclays
Participating Sponsors: American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), AstraZeneca, American Chemistry Council (ACC), Bank of America, Capital One, Chemours, Delaware State University, Donate Delaware, DuPont, (Future of STEM Scholars Initiative) FOSSI, JPMorgan Chase & Co., LexisNexis, MLB, New Castle County (DE), NFL, BPG, Ketchum, Delmarva, ChristianaCare and Salesforce.