WASHINGTON – The role of HBCUs in shaping the growth, development and culture of Black Americans will take center stage for the third installment of the critically acclaimed Salute THEM Awards (STA) series.
The Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ broadcast coincides with National HBCU Week, September 7-10, 2021. The series will air Sunday, September 12 on BNC.TV at 10 p.m. ET and streaming at 7 p.m.ET via the AARP Black Community Facebook page and Café Mocha Radio YouTube channel.
Comprised of HBCU alum, the nationally syndicated Café Mocha radio team is proud to create this premier special dedicated to honoring a diverse selection of graduates and organizations that have impacted the legacy of HBCUs. Café Mocha’s Emmy and two-time NAACP Image award-winning co-host Loni Love, a graduate of Prairie View A&M University, an HBCU, will once again host the evening with special tributes from co-host Angelique Perrin and Yo-Yo.
Brought to you by Toyota America, AARP, BNC.TV and the Café Mocha Network, this year’s Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ will ‘salute’ each honoree with a visual vignette that includes their institution as well as feature an array of unique tribute performances from award-winning artist, actress and entrepreneur Kierra Sheard-Kelly, singer/songwriter Kevin Ross, 2x Stellar Award-nominated Howard Gospel Choir of Howard University and the sounds of Southern University “Human Jukebox” Marching Band.
Honorees
2021 Salute THEM HBCU Honorees include:
- Kym Whitley, Actress/Comedienne – Fisk University
- Phil Thornton, President/General Manager, RCA Inspiration – Norfolk State University
- Dr. Theresa Price, Founder – Black College Expo
- Dr. Valerie Daniels-Carter, Co-Owner, Milwaukee Bucks – Lincoln University
- Thurgood Marshall College Fund, supports students attending public HBCUs
- United Negro College Fund, supports students attending private HBCUs
- David Banner, Hip Hop Artist, Actor, Entrepreneur & Activist – Southern University
“We are steadfast in our support of HBCUs and stakeholder partners like Black College Expo who help ensure that underserved students are armed with the necessary resources to succeed,” says Alva Adams-Mason, Group Manager, Multicultural Business Strategy, and Dealer Relations for Toyota Motor North America.
Select HBCU graduates of historic significance include: James Weldon Johnson, co-composer of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing,” also known as the Negro National Anthem from Clark Atlanta University; Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, second national president of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) from Alabama State University; Katherine Johnson, a “hidden figure” and NASA mathematician from West Virginia State University; Representative Barbara Jordan, Texas Congresswoman from Texas Southern University; and Willis Reed, Jr., retired NBA player from Grambling State University.
Black News Channel weekday presenters in their Tallahassee studio
HBCUs serve important role
The 101 HBCUs in the U.S. serve an African American cultural mission to produce leaders in all professions. Most notably is the first African American female U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, an alumna of Howard University and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., one of the “Divine Nine” sororities and fraternities that are predominately on HBCU campuses.
“AARP is committed to serving and engaging Black Americans 50-plus by addressing the issues important to them as they age,” said Shani Hosten, AARP Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, African American/Black Strategy & LGBTQ Strategy. “We’re proud to continue our collaboration with Café Mocha to empower HBCUs.”
The Salute THEM Awards ‘My HBCU Joy’ will also highlight three HBCU radio stations that were instrumental in the launch of the Café Mocha show over 10 years ago. Today the show broadcasts on over 40 stations around the country that includes Top 10 markets. Sheila Eldridge, a Howard University alumna, Café Mocha creator and executive producer says, “Thanks to the Howard University Network & WHUR-FM, North Carolina A&T State University WNAA-FM and Elizabeth City University WRVS-FM, for believing and giving us the opportunity to bring our unique sound to the airwaves with ‘radio from a woman’s perspective’.
About Black News Channel
BNC is the nation’s first and only provider of 24/7 multi-platform programming dedicated to covering the unique perspectives, challenges and successes of Black and Brown communities. The channel is available in more than 52 million U.S. homes via linear systems and on more than 200 million connected devices. BNC fosters political, economic, and social discourse through engaging programming, in-depth analysis and viewpoints that celebrate, contextualize and illuminate the Black and Brown experience.
For more information, connect with BNC at bnc.tv and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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