On Thursday, Atlanta welcomed the first iteration of HBCU Aware Fest. The fundraiser featured performances by artists including headliner Jill Scott, Common, GloRilla and Earth, Wind & Fire, according to The Grio.
The event was organized by the Student Freedom Initiative to assist students and raise funds toward student debt relief.
Jill Scott graced the stage at HBCU Aware Fest
For the special occasion, Scott wore a custom “Patched Gal” styled by Essence’s former fashion director Pamela Macklin. The look was entirely upcycled using HBCU t-shirts stitched together.
To create the outfit, Macklin collaborated with local talent from Atlanta.
“I provided direction to this young designer from ATL and she did not disappoint,” Macklin told Essence. “This is art.”
HBCU Aware Fest is aimed at tackling student loan debt
The inaugural edition of HBCU Aware Fest was organized by Student Freedom Initiative, an organization that aims at addressing the student loan debt crisis.
“How can the private sector, the public sector, and the federal government come together to make college more accessible?” Clark Atlanta University President George French Jr. French said, according to The Grio.
He emphasized the importance of positive representation in showing students what is possible: “They need to see people who look like them, talk like them, that live in the neighborhoods where they come from — to know that the way out is still through higher education, without a doubt.”
The benefit concert was one of several events during a week-long program. SFI announced it would “raise funds and awareness to support affordable college financing and long-term wealth-building efforts,” according to the event’s website.