BHS Day 1: United Negro College Fund

Hi and welcome to the first day of the 3rd Black History Spotlight! I am so glad to see that the tag for this is finally growing when you look back through the blog archives. It's something I keep saying (and will continue to say lol) but I'm so proud of this. It's not new or innovative by any means; tons of Black bloggers, vintage and otherwise, do this on their websites and social media accounts every year. Many mainstream websites do it in some capacity as well so I'm in good--and plentiful--company. But just to be part of that in my own way is something I'm proud of. I hope that you enjoy learning about each year's entrants as much as I do; while I'm reading everything on each entrant in order to share my two cents with you, I get to learn as well and that's probably one of the most fun parts about it. If I had a complaint with the series at all, it's that I have to wait another year in order to do it again. Let's see if I'm so eager to continue come February 28th. lol 
Anyway, per usual I start things off with a Community Spotlight, which I reserve for a person or organization who has made an impact on the Black community in a positive way. This organization has done that for over 60 years. On a lighter note, this bit from In Living Color was the first time I'd heard of the UNCF (although in the skit it was UNSF) and it stuck out to me, so I wanted to hear more about it. A parody bit probably isn't the best place to start your learning about a historic organization, but if nothing else it did prove that education is important and therefore organizations like today's entrant are necessary. LOL Let's get to our entrant, shall we?

Name: United Negro College Fund

Date of establishment and founders: April 1944; Frederick Patterson, William J. Trent and Mary McLeod Bethune founded the organization, which was largely fueled by investments and donations by influential White men until around 1970 when Blacks finally gained full control of the organization

Purpose of organization: To fund scholarships for Black students attending college, with a focus on those trying to attend historic Black colleges and universities as well as students who are low-income and would not have the opportunity to attend college otherwise

Why is the Spotlight on it today? For its lasting dedication to ensuring the continuing education of young Black individuals, its service to Black students by giving them the opportunity to attend Black colleges and its longevity as a successful fundraising organization, for advocating for the educational needs of POC both in the classroom and on the legislative floor

Notables and details: --raised over $4 billion in the 70+ years it has served the community
--administers over 400 scholarships for Black students
--has helped nearly half a million students attend college and pursue their professional dreams
--provides financial support to 37 historically Black colleges and universities 
--helps over 10,000 students receive college scholarships annually
--has increased the six-year graduation rate for Black students to exceed that of both the overall national average and the overall national rate for African-Americans
--while still making Black students the focus, the organization now helps other students of color to attend college and increase the educational representation they receive
--created the Institute for Capacity Building, which helps colleges widen their reach of potential donors
--held the annual "An Evening with the Stars" telethon, which was started by Lou Rawls back in 1980 and featured a mix of musical and comedy performances with the stories of former recipients of the UNCF's support; the first two decades of the telethon brought over $200 million in funding to the organization
--can count MLK, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson and Spike Lee among its illustrious and long list of alumni
--advocates for education through the Federal Policy and Advocacy program, which ensures that both supporters and students have a platform for their issues to be voiced and that politicians on both sides are making decisions that include HBCUs and their students
--actively works to ensure that the Black community and any other interested parties are aware of both the legislation that can affect HBCUs and their potential students as well as their public responses to both the Senate and Congress
--holds multiple fundraising events around the country throughout the year to raise money, from luncheons and masked balls to breakfast/luncheons and bowling events
--advocates for students at all levels of education, from kindergarten to college, by working to increase the high school graduation rate and ensuring that more students are college ready and therefore more equipped to graduate

Further reading links: 1 |2 | 3 | 4

Quote of the Day: 
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste."                                                                                                                    --UNCF slogan
#PreserveHBCUs