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Days after her historic performance as the first black woman to headline at Coachella, Beyonce is making a major difference. The superstar has announced that four HBCUs will receive the newly established Homecoming Scholars Award Program for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Xavier, Wilberforce, Tuskegee and Bethune-Cookman, are all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community and will benefit from BeyGood’s newest initiative.
The Queen’s Coachella performance was full of references to to HBCU Homecoming festivities and featured a marching band, performance art, choir, and more than 150 cast members in the set that serves as her own personal homecoming since it was the first time she has hit the stage since having her twins.
“We salute the rich legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” states Ivy McGregor, Director of Philanthropy and Corporate Relations at Parkwood Entertainment which houses BeyGOOD. “We honor all institutions of higher learning for maintaining culture and creating environments for optimal learning which expands dreams and the seas of possibilities for students.”
One winner from each school will receive $25K for the 2018-2019 academic year for study in various fields. This is the second scholarship program created by Beyoncé.
The Formation Scholars Awards Program, a merit scholarship program was established in April 2017 in celebration of the one-year anniversary of LEMONADE, Beyoncé’s critically-acclaimed and globally-lauded 2016 visual album. The Formation Scholars awards encouraged and supported young women who are bold, creative, conscious, confident and unafraid to think outside of the box.
The Homecoming Scholars Award Program for 2018-2019 will expand to all qualifying students at the four universities, regardless of gender. The disciplines will include literature, creative arts, African-American studies, science, education, business, communications, social sciences, computer science and engineering. All applicants must maintain a 3.5 GPA or above. All finalists and winners will be selected by the universities. Winners will be announced this summer.