SchoolSeed – Memphis Flyer

Tennessee State, Florida A&M, Tuskegee, and Grambling State are only a handful of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) traveling to Memphis in March to recruit local high school students.

From March 3rd through the 6th, representatives from 25 HBCUs within the Southern region will meet with Shelby County Schools (SCS) juniors and seniors during a four-day mobile college fair. The HBCU Awareness Foundation, along with SchoolSeed, is presenting the fair.

Ten high schools are being targeted for the fair. Students who are interested in post-secondary education will have the chance to meet with various HBCUs and potentially be admitted on-site to their institution.

Traditional college fairs require students to travel to a particular venue to receive assistance from college representatives. But with the mobile tour, students will enjoy the comfort of HBCUs coming to them.

Things will kick off on March 3rd at both Central and Booker T. Washington. Students will get a chance to sit down and talk with HBCU representatives about college, share any questions or concerns, have their transcript reviewed, and be potentially recruited.

The following day (March 4th), students from Douglas, Craigmont, and Kingsbury High Schools will get their chance to speak with the college representatives. High schoolers at both Kirby and Southwind will talk with representatives from the various HBCUs on March 5th.

On the evening of March 5th, a college fair open to the public will take place at Oak Court Mall. From 5:30 to 8 p.m., HBCU recruiters will meet and talk to Memphians about college and assist them with any inquiries.

The four-day college fair will culminate on March 6th. Students interested in higher education at Whitehaven, Oakhaven, and East High will get the opportunity to speak with college representatives and possibly be admitted to a HBCU.

“HBCUs have produced some stellar individuals,” said Corey Allen, founder of the HBCU Awareness Foundation, in a statement. “Common, who recently won an Academy Award, is a graduate of Florida A&M. Oprah Winfrey is a graduate of Tennessee State. The next Thurgood Marshall could emerge from this opportunity. My overall goal is to increase awareness of HBCUs and to also provide additional options for selecting a college.”

Aside from Tennessee State, Tuskegee, Florida A&M, and Grambling State, other HBCUs participating in the college fair include: Alabama A&M University, Alcorn State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Claflin State University, Dillard University, Fort Valley State University, Jackson State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Lincoln (MO) University, Mississippi Valley State University, Philander Smith University, Rust College, Southern University, Tennessee State University, Tougaloo College, University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, and Wilberforce University.

Additional sponsors of the college fair are Leadership Memphis, SCS, and Streets Ministries.

Dr. Shaun Harper

A University of Pennsylvania professor and minority education specialist, Dr. Shaun Harper will enlighten African-American youth about institutional barriers they may face this Thursday.

On October 23rd, Harper will present his “Educating Young Men of Color in an Urban Context” speech at Bridges USA. The event will last from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Harper’s lecture is part of a speaker series being presented by SchoolSeed, a nonprofit working to drive educational excellence and innovation in Memphis.

Sam O’Bryant, deputy director of community engagement and strategic partnerships for SchoolSeed, said attendees will learn about obstacles that prevent young men of color from succeeding in school and thereafter.

“Although personal responsibility is a factor to consider, it is not the ‘end all’ that determines if a person of color is successful,” O’Bryant said. “Even when a child does the right things (good grades, graduate high school, enroll in post-secondary schools, etc.), there exist barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential. Dr. Harper’s speech will speak to how communities can identify these systemic barriers and put new systems in place to make sure every child can reach their full potential.”

The main objective of the event is to provide awareness and spark discussion about race and equity in public education. And SchoolSeed hopes attendees will be motivated to develop a local movement that addresses and combats educational obstacles encountered by minorities.

“Our goal in continuing this speaker series is to facilitate community discussion about timely, relevant education-related topics,” said Vince McCaskill, executive director of SchoolSeed, in a statement. “Dr. Harper is a dynamic, intellectually gifted thinker and speaker, and it’s truly an honor to have him in Memphis to participate in this series.”

Harper is the second lecturer to be featured in SchoolSeed’s speaker series. The series launched earlier this year with Dr. Ivory Toldson. The deputy director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Toldson talked to LeMoyne-Owen College in April about the important role HBCUs play in advancing the educational success of African-American males.