UNCF National DC Gala to Mark 75 Years of Impacting the Next Generation of Leaders
Celebrating a legacy of investing in deserving students and historically black colleges and universities
WASHINGTON, March 5, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- WHAT: UNCF (United Negro College Fund), the country's largest and most successful minority education organization, is throwing a birthday party March 7. The 75th UNCF anniversary and national "A Mind is…" Gala, whose title echoes the group's iconic motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste,"® will celebrate the founding of the organization by Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) president Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson with initial backing from corporate leaders led by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and Coca Cola president Robert W. Woodruff on April 25, 1944. Since its founding, UNCF has raised more than $4.8 billion and has helped more than 450,000 students earn degrees at UNCF-member HBCUs. This gala will follow on the heels of UNCF's Inaugural 'State of the HBCU Address' being delivered by UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael Lomax on March 5, during which he will call on all lawmakers to renew and increase their commitment to HBCUs, the students and the communities they serve.
WHO: UNCF and approximately 1,200 guests, including civic and community leaders, celebrities, corporate sponsors and supporters
Key attendees:
- The honorable Muriel Bowser, mayor, city of Washington, DC
- Vernon Jordan, civil rights activist and former UNCF president
- Congressional Black Caucus members
- UNCF-member HBCU institutions' presidents
Honorees:
- Robert F. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners
- Congressional Black Caucus, award being accepted by U.S. Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)
- Coca Cola, Exxon Mobil and JPMorgan Chase companies
- The Ray Charles Foundation, award being accepted by president Valerie Ervin
WHEN: 6-11 p.m., Thursday, March 7
Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC
For media credentials, send contact information to cynetra.mcmillian(at)uncf.org.
Follow this event on social media @UNCF #UNCF75 #UNCF.
About UNCF
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation's largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students' education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."® Learn more at UNCF.org, or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.
SOURCE United Negro College Fund, Inc.
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