YouTube Originals has announced new additions to the lineup for “HBCU Homecoming 2020: Meet Me On The Yard,” including performances from DJ Clue, Busta Rhymes, Ari Lennox and Spillage Village; appearances from Amanda Seales, Will Packer, K. Michelle, Fonzworth Bentley, Lance Gross, John David Washington and Kevin Frazier; and YouTube Creators Domonique Robinson, Paige Mariah, Erin Winters, Keesha Anderson, TaJiah Gary and Breelyn Hunt.
The global livestream event will be hosted by HBCU alumni 2 Chainz and La La Anthony and premieres Saturday, October 24 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on YouTube. BET will serve as the exclusive broadcast partner set to air the event at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7nYQXsxJdU
The event will also feature previously announced performances from Saweetie, Chloe x Halle, NLE Choppa and Tye Tribbett with FAMU’s Marching 100 and Choir, and appearances from Desi Banks and Pretty Vee. Produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment and Live Nation Urban, the event was announced last week as part of a global slate of new and returning projects, focused on racial justice, amplifying Black voices, and elevating Black culture.
With Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country cancelling their annual Homecomings due to the global pandemic, YouTube will take the momentous celebration virtual.
This two-hour livestream will be filled with homecoming traditions to raise funds for the United Negro College Fund who plan to split 50% with Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Expect musical performances, band performances from Jackson State University’s Sonic Boom of The South, and FAMU’s Marching 100, Step performances from the Divine 9, as well as appearances from students, alumni, YouTube creators and inspirational video packages representing the legacy of HBCUs.
Google also recently announced the Grow with Google HBCU Career Readiness Program. Through a $1M investment in the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the new initiative will help Black students at HBCUs prepare to enter the workforce through digital skills training.
Since 2013, the Google In Residence program has placed Google software engineers at HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) as faculty. The company also hosts Tech Exchange, a virtual student exchange program that teaches HBCU and HSU students applied computer science courses.
The #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is a $100M fund dedicated to amplifying and developing the voices of Black creators and artists and their stories. Over the next three years, this global fund will be used to acquire and produce YouTube Originals programming, and to directly support Black creators and artists to help them thrive on YouTube.
READ MORE: You Tube Programs By Black Creators Focusing on Racial Justice, Elevating Black Culture
Additional YouTube Originals centering on global Black experiences and addressing racial justice include: “Together We Rise” (streaming now on GRM Daily’s YouTube Channel ), “Trapped: Cash Bail in America” (streaming now), a special episode of “BookTube” featuring Jason Reynolds (premieres October 22), The Outsiders (premieres February 2021), “Glad You Asked” Season 2 (premieres February 2021), and new episodes of the award-winning Kids & Family series Lockdown (new episodes premiere November 19).
