HBCU Week uses brand ambassador Stephen A. Smith to draw attention to mission
WILMINGTON, Del. (BVM) — Like any impactful event, HBCU Week started as an idea. The idea was to host an event that would encourage high schoolers in the Wilmington area to enroll into HBCUs and provide scholarship opportunities and a college fair for the students, an idea which was pitched in 2017 to Wilmington Mayor Michael Purzycki by two young staff members who both attended HBCUs.
“It sounded like a good idea to me,” Purzycki said. “These two and other staffers of mine who were HBCU grads exhibited much stronger emotional ties to their alma mater than a lot of other friends of mine. … It was more than just an educational experience, it was a cultural and social experience so I said, ‘Yeah, sounds good to me.’”
Initially planned for 200 Wilmington area high school students and five HBCU admission counselors, it was discovered there was more of a desire by students than initially thought. When all was said and done, the event would have 700 students with 11 admission counselors all from different HBCUs during its first event.
“It was fairly modest, but overall it was far greater than I ever would’ve imagined, which demonstrated to me that there’s a real thirst for these kids to learn about the HBCU experience,” Purzycki said.
Today, not only has HBCU Week seen increased numbers of attendees and HBCU participants, but it has also received aid from a distinguished HBCU alumnus. Stephen A. Smith, a featured commentator of ESPN’s First Take, was named the HBCU Week brand ambassador by the City of Wilmington in June 2019. Smith was contacted through Monté Ross, a friend of the mayor’s office, who happened to be men’s basketball teammates with Smith at Winston-Salem State University.
“We called Monté and said, ‘Didn’t you room with Stephen A. Smith? Do you think you could ask him to come up and be a sponsor for the event?’” Purzycki said. “He contacted Stephen A. and Stephen was all over it and says yes. … He was so impressed with how we feel about our young high school students and their future that he said, ‘I’m all in. What else do you want me to do?’”
Smith, who graduated from the HBCU Winston-Salem State University in 1991, spoke about the importance of the HBCU in his life during a press conference on the honor.
“I can’t put into words what my association with an HBCU has done for my career,” Smith said. “For what it has done for my life. The friends that I have made. The support I have received. The people that have believed in me from day one and never wavered in their support of me.”
Following his honor, Smith also announced that he would bring First Take to the 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington during the event to bring further attention to the cause. On Sept. 20, 2019, First Take was filmed in the fieldhouse to a crowd of nearly 4,000 students and fans. Among some of the highlights of the show included Earvin “Magic” Johnson joining the hosts to discuss the importance of HBCUs to the Black community and Smith learning that his alma mater would name an athletics scholarship after him.
For Purzycki, the taping of the show was a moment he won’t soon forget.
“The whole building was electric,” Purzycki said. “Something like this is a big deal to us to have ESPN show up and bring in all the pros and we were really proud to have them here. It was a fantastic thing.”
You know @stephenasmith had to make in entrance for HBCU week! pic.twitter.com/tCVahOIihG
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 20, 2019
Although the event had seen success in its brief existence, nothing compared to what Smith and his crew helped bring last year. According to event officials, 1,200 students were accepted to college during the event while $3.8 million in scholarships were awarded. Additionally, 63 students received a full four-year scholarship and 420 students received a partial freshman-year scholarship with an opportunity to receive additional scholarship support based on their college academic record. HBCUs that participated in the event included Delaware State University, the only HBCU in the state, and 20 other HBCUs, such as Smith’s Winston-Salem State.
According to Purzycki, roughly 3,500 students were in attendance and 10 of the 21 colleges or universities that participated in the college fair accepted students to college on the spot and awarded scholarships. Purzycki was also quick to recognize Smith and Johnson for their help bringing attention to the event and giving their mission national exposure.
“(Smith) is an HBCU grad so he feels it,” Purzycki said. “He stands up and talks about the experience and adds a dimension to the legitimacy of why we do this that certainly I couldn’t. He stands up in front of everybody and says the first thing you notice when you go to an HBCU is you realize that you’re not alone and that resonated with everybody in that room.”
While the event was a resounding success in 2019, Smith was not letting his participation be a one-and-done deal. In March, Smith announced via Twitter that First Take would return to Wilmington for this year’s HBCU Week.
Being at HBCU Week last year was a humbling experience, and I'm thrilled @FirstTake will be returning in 2020. pic.twitter.com/iOXVBiMPaM
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) March 2, 2020
Due to COVID-19, the event will now be held virtually for the first time. Though it may not be executed the way event planners had hoped at the beginning of the year, the event will still include Smith and the rest of the First Take cast in a live broadcast of the show on Sept. 25.
The event itself will begin on Sept. 22 with a middle school college tour and will conclude on Sept. 26 with an athletics and academics panel discussion that day with other events including the college fair, a Black Hollywood panel discussion and an advancing Black pathways roundtable discussion.
While the event is online, Purzycki is hopeful that the event will show similar growth this year.
“I would imagine it would be pretty positive,” Purzycki said. “You still have the same number of kids who are looking to go to schools so while it’s not an event, I would imagine there would be pretty good interest. I would bet to a certainty if not this year then next year it will exceed even last year because the momentum is terrific.”
For Smith, the event is more than just helping connect students to HBCUs. It is about bringing students to a culture where they can feel comfortable while also being encouraged to be successful.
“When you go to an HBCU and you see people who look like you and they might act like you and they have similar cultural backgrounds, the lingo, the verbiage, all of that stuff is very similar and relatable,” Smith said. “I’m not alone and the people here are convinced that they can do it so why shouldn’t I be convinced that I can do it? And that’s where being a part of an HBCU really has its advantages for an African American.”
While Smith has been on for the past couple of years as the brand’s ambassador, Purzycki doesn’t expect his aid to end anytime soon.
“He’s a pretty remarkable guy,” Purzycki said. “He seems to do these things pretty effortlessly so we never feel like we’re bothering him. He’s very generous with his time. He’s very enthusiastic about his support for this issue. I think he cares deeply for the kids involved so I can’t imagine the circumstances under which he would say ‘sorry I’m not interested.’ I would expect he would continue to help us.”
HBCUs have gained some noticeable attention in recent months. In July, five-star basketball prospect Makur Maker selected HBCU Howard University over the likes of Kentucky, Oregon, USC and UCLA. With his decision, other top prospects including Mikey Williams have also begun seriously considering HBCUs to continue their athletic careers. Purzycki sees this as just the beginning of a larger movement towards these schools and he couldn’t be happier with the progress the schools have made from events like HBCU Week.
“It’s fantastic,” Purzycki said. “There’s nothing else I do that makes me prouder than what we do with HBCUs.”
While the event may be moved to a virtual platform, HBCU Week will still have an impact on thousands of high school students and their future collegiate prospects. With the support of a celebrity like Stephen A. Smith and more attention being brought to the event daily, it is likely HBCU Week will be here to stay.
