Actress Wendy Raquel Robinson has been tapped to host the inaugural “HBCU Honors” awards show, which is slated for 2023.
The ceremony will celebrate alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities who are game-changers and innovators across various industries, Yahoo reports via a news release.
“I am thrilled to be a part of history as host of this incredible inaugural HBCU Award Show,” said Robinson, an Emmy award-winning actress-producer who is best known for her roles on the comedy sitcom, “The Steve Harvey Show,” and the comedy-drama, “The Game.”
The NAACP Image Award winner added, “I’m a proud alumna of Howard University and I am ready for the exciting night that is for us, by us, and unapologetically celebrates us and our beloved HBCU lifestyle.
“HBCU Honors” awards creator and former BET Networks Senior Vice-President Michelle M. Bailey (Spelman College) said in the release, “Our amazing HBCU honorees and trailblazers embody HBCU excellence, crushing glass ceilings, driving equity and inclusion, challenging the status quo, dispelling stereotypes, and advancing the HBCU mission.”
The awards will honor eight distinguished HBCU alumni who have reached the pinnacle of their professions in the areas of aerospace and aviation, business, entrepreneurship, public service, media, entertainment and academia.
The “HBCU Honors” announcement follows recent news that HBCUs are beginning to experience a surge in interest, applications and enrollment, theGrio previously reported.
Many have credited NBC’s ‘80s and ‘90s primetime family sitcoms, “The Cosby Show,” and its spinoff, “A Different World,” for significantly contributing to increases in HBCU attendance. There were frequent mentions of Cliff and Claire Huxtable’s fictitious Virginia alma mater, Hillman, on “The Cosby Show.” Hillman was the setting for “A Different World.”
“We are truly committed to telling incredible stories for the culture. And our HBCU honorees, these disruptors, epitomize the kind of great narratives that resonate in our community with pride,” said “HBCU Honors” Executive Producer and Director Jessica Garrett Modkins (North Carolina A&T State University).
The “HBCU Honors” awards ceremony is to be held at the Black Archives-Historic Lyric Theater in Miami. The show is scheduled to be broadcast in February during Black History Month.
Story Credit: thegrio Staff
Image: Instagram