President McNair, outgoing SGA president join May 23 lineup for ESPN鈥檚 The Undefeated 鈥楬BCU Day鈥�

May 20, 2020

Contacts:
Mac Nwulu, mac.nwulu@espn.com / 860.766.4196
Kim Jarvis, kimberly.jarvis@espn.com / 860.766.2298

On Saturday, May 23, , ESPN鈥檚 content platform exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture, will present 鈥淗BCU Day鈥� to celebrate the Class of 2020 graduates at historically black colleges and universities. Utilizing the hashtag #UndefeatedHBCUDay, the virtual celebration will feature a collection of videos and written content shared all day across The Undefeated鈥檚 social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and curated on . 

Faces familiar to the 精东AV family will join the list of prominent African Americans who will deliver congratulatory and inspirational messages to this year鈥檚 HBCU graduates 鈥� a lineup headlined by former President Barack Obama.

President Lily D. McNair will join two-time 精东AV alumnus and current Morgan State University President David Wilson for a panel discussion entitled 鈥淗BCU Day: Together We Go Further.鈥� Other panelists will include Bennett College President Suzanne Walsh, Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Commissioner Jacqui Williams, and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Commissioner Charles McClelland.

Graduating SGA President Micah Grey offers his fellow classmates virtual well wishes following the university鈥檚 spring 2020 virtual graduation observance.
 

Graduating biology major and 2019-20 Student Government Association President Micah Grey will join more than 20 valedictorians and ambassadors 鈥� nominated by their respective schools 鈥� to share inspirational and encouraging messages with their fellow graduates. Their messages will be shared across The Undefeated platforms on Saturday.

鈥淲e are proud to present HBCU Day, a celebration of the next generation of leaders who have been educated by our historically black colleges and universities,鈥� said Kevin Merida, ESPN senior vice president and editor-in-chief of The Undefeated. 鈥淭he day is a reminder of the brilliance and potential of the 2020 graduating class, and of the role HBCUs continue to play in the development of this country.鈥�

A host of African-American celebrities will join Obama, McNair and Grey in offering their well wishes to this year鈥檚 graduates, including: 

• Zuri Adele: Spelman College alumna and star of Freeform鈥檚 鈥淕ood Trouble鈥� 
• Anthony Anderson: Howard University graduate, and lead character and executive producer of ABC鈥檚 鈥淏lack-ish鈥�
• Antoine Bethea: Howard University graduate, NFL safety and Super Bowl XLI champion
• Toni Braxton: Bowie State University graduate and a multi-Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter
• Tarik Cohen: North Carolina A&T alumnus and Chicago Bears running back
• Omar Epps: Actor best known for his lead role in 鈥淟ove & Basketball鈥�
• U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris: Howard University graduate and a former Democratic presidential candidate
• Leonard Haynes: former Grambling State University president, Southern University alumnus, and a longtime government and private sector adviser on HBCU initiatives
• Trevor Jackson: Rapper who plays a recurring role in Freeform鈥檚 鈥淕rown-ish鈥�
• Kay C. James: Hampton University graduate, government and public policy leader, and president of The Heritage Foundation 
• Darius Leonard: South Carolina State University alumnus and Indianapolis Colts linebacker
• Demetria McKinney: multitalented actor, singer and songwriter with a recurring role in Freeform鈥檚 鈥淢otherland: Fort Salem鈥�
• Loni Love: Prairie View A&M University alumna, talk show host, and comedic actor with numerous appearances in film and television
• Yvonne Orji: comedian and actor best known for her role in the HBO series 鈥淚nsecure鈥�
• Jerry Rice: Mississippi Valley State University graduate, three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame wide receiver
• Diggy Simmons: actor with a current recurring role in Freeform鈥檚 鈥淕rown-ish鈥� 
• Stephen A. Smith: Winston Salem University graduate and one of the nation鈥檚 leading sports voices who currently commentates for 鈥淓SPN First Take鈥�
• Stan Verrett: Howard University graduate and 鈥淓SPN SportsCenter鈥� anchor

Additional HBCU Day content will include:

• William H. Rhoden video essay: Columnist and Morgan State University graduate William H. Rhoden will voice an essay about the impact of HBCUs on black life in the current environment.
• Rhoden Fellow Essays: Three members of the Class of 2020 鈥� Whitney Bronson and Randall Williams (Hampton University), and Howard University鈥檚 Nathaniel Easington 鈥� will pen graduation-themed essays.

The Undefeated is ESPN鈥檚 multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture. The digital hub, , which launched in May 2016, combines innovative long-form and short-form storytelling, investigation, original reporting and provocative commentary to enlighten and entertain African Americans, as well as sports fans seeking a deeper understanding of black athletes, culture and related issues.

In addition to its cutting-edge content, The Undefeated seeks to be a thought-leader on race, sports and culture in the country 鈥� convening insightful forums to discuss and debate topical issues affecting sports and race in America.

漏 2020, 精东AV; with content provided by ESPN