More Than A Festival: Empowering Youth Through HBCUs, The Arts, And Community
Marching band performance at the HBCU Festival
When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred in 2020, it caused unprecedented setbacks for young people. During this challenging time, Cathy Cahill, president and CEO of the Mann, and Shelley Sylva, TD Bank's Head of Business Development and Community Outreach in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, came together with a vision. They decided to create an HBCU Festival at the Mann, which is a popular, outdoor music venue in Philadelphia. The two leaders recognized the power of such a festival not only to connect students and families with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and career opportunities, but also to bring the community at large together.
At first glance, a college fair at a performing arts center might seem unlikely. However, the idea was, in fact, a natural extension of Mann's longstanding commitment to community enrichment. As Cahill explained, 'We've built robust education and engagement initiatives to support that community. We advanced and further shaped those efforts following a study we commissioned in 2018 that identified workforce development, out-of-school time, and creative placemaking as areas of huge need in the West Philadelphia neighborhood we call home.'
The inaugural HBCU Festival took place in 2023 and on May 17, 2025. the Mann will once again host the event, with 'every hour filled with performances and master classes by notable HBCU choirs, drumlines, step and dance teams, and other performing arts groups.' At the heart of the festival will be an interactive college fair where students can meet representatives from a variety of HBCUs, as well as representatives from industry.
However, the festival is more than a one-day event. It is part of a broader effort to support Philadelphia's youth. 'The HBCU Festival is a platform for young people to imagine what their futures might look like, just like our year-round apprenticeship and music education programs are,' shared Cahill. She added, 'All of these things work together to meet young people where they are. And, along the way, while these efforts are stoking the imaginations and career aspirations of young people, there is the potential that we are helping to build a workforce for the arts sector of the future.'
As Heather Malin, author of Teaching for Purpose: Preparing Students for Lives of Meaning, demonstrates, the arts and exposure to the arts are highly important to young people in terms of building relationships with others, understanding others, and being understood. These types of connections are essential as young people move throughout their lives and within communities.
Students from HBCUs presenting at the Festival.
The Mann is not doing this work in isolation. TD Bank, a longtime partner, sees the festival as a key piece of its broader mission to invest in future leaders and create inclusive pathways to professional success. Paige Carlson-Heim, head of U.S. Social Impact at TD Bank, underscored this commitment, stating, 'TD recognizes that HBCUs are a cornerstone of education across our country, creating a talent pool that helps to advance America's institutions, workforce, and economy. As a bank, it's critically important that we find the best talent to deliver for our customers and communities. The HBCU festival is an opportunity for us to engage early with all students and families who are eager to learn about HBCUs.' She added, 'The festival not only presents an opportunity for all students and their families to learn, engage, and be inspired by the legacy of HBCUs through education and celebration of the performing arts, but it is also an opportunity to connect our shared communities. '
With the combined efforts of the Mann and TD Bank, the HBCU Festival is poised to shape the future of those youth who attend. It is also a reminder that in times of uncertainty for many, the arts, education, and community engagement have the potential to inspire, uplift, and pave the way for opportunity.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tourism is up in Joplin, how does it impact the local economy?
JOPLIN, Mo. — Business is booming when it comes to tourism in the Joplin area. 'This is our first stop, so we're really looking forward to seeing some of the street painting,' said Sararae Womack, St. Louis Tourist. Just one of the many points of interest tied to Route 66 that Sararae Womack is visiting during her stop in Joplin. 'We passed a few of the beautiful murals on our way in here. We're looking forward to exploring everything Joplin has to offer,' said Womack. Sararae is just one of many, many travelers highlighted in a new report detailing the impact of tourism on the Joplin metro area. There are big numbers, including more than 1.1 million visitors to the metro region in the 12 months leading up to March. It cites 27 hundred jobs connected to tourism spending. 'Jobs that support tourism, from the hotels to the restaurants to the attractions, and that generated another $408 million that were impacted across the board, of salaries, supplies, all kinds of activities,' said Patrick Tuttle, Joplin CVB Dir. Joplin's CVB director points to a five-year comparison, which includes a couple of devastating COVID years. Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce searching for new president Joplin named one of the best places to live in Missouri, according to report Joplin firefighters tackle 11th-floor fire alarm at Messenger Towers Missouri prepares for sports betting rollout 2024-2025 Golden Lion Award winners honored at MSSU 'We took quite a dive during the COVID years, and a lot of communities are getting back this year, being the fifth year after we got back on our feet two years ago. So we recovered pretty quickly,' said Tuttle. He says there are a variety of reasons tourists come to the area, but adds the Mother Road is one of the biggest factors, and specifically how travelers are choosing to enjoy that blast from the past. 'Pre-COVID. I would say the international traveler would see all of Missouri Route 66 in probably two days. And you and I would probably do it one day. Now we're seeing three to five days. People are slowing down. They're taking their time,' said Tuttle. A state-by-state breakdown shows that the biggest number of travelers comes from other parts of Missouri and Kansas… while there are also significant totals from Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Including Charlie Weddle, who's in town for a few days. He's been here before and says he'll be back again. 'It's a really great town. I love it here,' said Charlie Weddle, Wichita Traveler. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rogan claims 2 former presidents called Spotify over his controversial COVID commentary
Podcaster Joe Rogan claimed Tuesday that two unnamed former presidents were involved in the protest against his skeptical discussions about COVID-19. Spotify received backlash in 2022 for allowing Rogan, one of its biggest stars, to spread what progressive critics claimed was COVID misinformation. Musician Neil Young famously removed his content from Spotify in protest over Rogan's rhetoric, saying he no longer wanted to share a platform with him. "And then all of a sudden, I hear that Neil Young wants me removed from Spotify. I was like, 'What the f--- is going on? This is crazy,'" Rogan said Tuesday. "Spotify got calls from two former presidents," he added. Rogan Slams Cnn For 'Force-feeding Me Morons' Instead Of Delivering News Then-Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented on the controversy directly. After Spotify announced it would flag podcasts that cover COVID-19, Psaki responded, "So this disclaimer, it's a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation while also uplifting accurate information." Read On The Fox News App "Our hope is that all major tech platforms — and all major news sources for that matter — be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19," she added. But Rogan said that instead of being censored or deplatformed, "I grew by 2 million subscribers in a month." "People started listening," he said, despite how his critics attacked his reputation. "And they started listening, like, 'Oh, he's really reasonable and pretty humble about all this stuff and just asking questions.'" Rogan also condemned how media outlets attacked his use of Ivermectin to treat his COVID-19 by referring to it as a horse dewormer. "I'm, like, 'Why aren't you guys concentrating on the fact that a 55-year-old man is fine three days later during the worst strain?' It was during the Delta where everybody's freaking out. 'This one's going to kill us all.' And I was fine in three days," he said. Rogan described the whole experience as a "wake-up call" that opened his eyes about the liberal legacy media. "It's so dirty. It's such a dirty business," Rogan said. "God, I used to have massive respect for journalists. If I had never done this podcast, I would be your regular schmo out there with, you know, just spitting out all the company lines and all the blast all over the news." "I kind of liked it better then," he said with a laugh. "I didn't think the world is filled with demons, money-hungry demons that are willing to sacrifice human lives in the pursuit of revenue." Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek addressed the pushback against hosting Rogan during the company's earnings call in February 2022. "I think the important part here is that we don't change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change it based on any media cycle," the chief executive said at the time. "Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space – and I do believe they're right for our platform." Fox News Digital reached out to Spotify for comment and did not receive an immediate article source: Rogan claims 2 former presidents called Spotify over his controversial COVID commentary
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Joe Rogan claims 2 former presidents called Spotify over his COVID commentary
Podcaster Joe Rogan claimed Tuesday that two unnamed former presidents were involved in the protest against his skeptical discussions about COVID-19. Spotify received backlash in 2022 for allowing Rogan, one of its biggest stars, to spread what progressive critics claimed was COVID misinformation. Musician Neil Young famously removed his content from Spotify in protest over Rogan's rhetoric, saying he no longer wanted to share a platform with him. Advertisement 'And then all of a sudden, I hear that Neil Young wants me removed from Spotify. I was like, 'What the f— is going on? This is crazy,'' Rogan said Tuesday. Then-Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented on the controversy directly. After Spotify announced it would flag podcasts that cover COVID-19, Psaki responded, 'So this disclaimer, it's a positive step, but we want every platform to continue doing more to call out misinformation while also uplifting accurate information.' 'Our hope is that all major tech platforms — and all major news sources for that matter — be responsible and be vigilant to ensure the American people have access to accurate information on something as significant as COVID-19,' she added. 3 Spotify received backlash in 2022 for allowing Rogan to spread what progressive critics claimed was COVID misinformation. YouTube/PowerfulJRE Advertisement But Rogan said that instead of being censored or deplatformed, 'I grew by 2 million subscribers in a month.' 'People started listening,' he said, despite how his critics attacked his reputation. 'And they started listening, like, 'Oh, he's really reasonable and pretty humble about all this stuff and just asking questions.'' Rogan also condemned how media outlets attacked his use of Ivermectin to treat his COVID-19 by referring to it as a horse dewormer. 3 Rogan said that two former presidents reached out to Spotify about his claims on COVID-19. Diego – Advertisement 'I'm, like, 'Why aren't you guys concentrating on the fact that a 55-year-old man is fine three days later during the worst strain?' It was during the Delta where everybody's freaking out. 'This one's going to kill us all.' And I was fine in three days,' he said. Rogan described the whole experience as a 'wake-up call' that opened his eyes about the liberal legacy media. 'It's so dirty. It's such a dirty business,' Rogan said. 'God, I used to have massive respect for journalists. If I had never done this podcast, I would be your regular schmo out there with, you know, just spitting out all the company lines and all the blast all over the news.' 3 Rogan described the whole experience as a 'wake-up call' that opened his eyes about the liberal legacy media. HJBC – Advertisement 'I kind of liked it better then,' he said with a laugh. 'I didn't think the world is filled with demons, money-hungry demons that are willing to sacrifice human lives in the pursuit of revenue.' Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek addressed the pushback against hosting Rogan during the company's earnings call in February 2022. 'I think the important part here is that we don't change our policies based on one creator, nor do we change it based on any media cycle,' the chief executive said at the time. 'Our policies have been carefully written with the input from numbers of internal and external experts in this space – and I do believe they're right for our platform.' Fox News Digital reached out to Spotify for comment and did not receive an immediate reply.
