BET will air the inaugural HBCU Awarefest Benefit Concert this weekend, benefitting students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
The concert lineup includes Jill Scott, Tems, Common, Jeezy, Yolanda Adams, Coco Jones, Kirk Franklin, and BigXthaPlug. The event airs on April 5, and was recently filmed in Atlanta at the State Farm Arena.
In addition to the performances, the special features remarks by Robert F. Smith, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Rev. Al Sharpton, Jamal Bryant, Tyler Perry, Daymond John, Anthony Anderson, Rocsi Diaz, Angela Yee, Kandi Burruss, Angel Reese, Ryan Clark, Will Packer, Deon Cole, and more.
The goal of the event is to raise awareness about HBCUs and bring in money to help reduce student loan debt.
The first HBCUs were founded after the Civil War to offer educational opportunities for Black Americans, including newly freed slaves. There were 99 HBCUs nationwide in 2022, the last year statistics were available, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
A total of 290,000 students were enrolled in the schools when the survey was conducted. Of those students, about 76 percent were Black, with 24 percent listed as non-Black.
Ninety percent of all undergraduate students at HBCUs receive financial aid, and many graduate with thousands of dollars in student debt.
Events like the HBCU Awarefest Benefit Concert are meant to help offset those costs. The concert airs Sunday, April 5 at 9PM ET/ 8PM CT on BET.
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