Past, present and future HBCU women it is your time to shine.
Through a collaborative effort, Essence and Pepsi have created a platform to honor past, present and future HBCU women around the country and used HBCU homecomings to do it. The “She Got Now” platform took place on multiple campuses, including Florida A&M University, Howard University, Hampton University and Norfolk State University. Events sponsored by Pepsi and Essence occurred at each institution including an awards luncheon, a talent competition and a free concert hosted by Doug E. Fresh, Gia Peppers and Scottie Beam.
The platform came about from Derek Lewis, the president of the south division of PepsiCo North American beverages, and Richelieu Dennis, the owner of Essence Ventures.
“We got to the table talking about how we could celebrate homecomings and the things that are important to us from an HBCU lens,” Lewis said. Then we went back to this woman’s platform that is very important for us and we wanted to use this stage to really go deeper with HBCUs and women.”
For Lewis, highlighting HBCUs is personal as he graduated from Hampton University and has worked for PepsiCo since his graduation. Pepsi partnering with Essence to highlight HBCUs is important, considering the legacies both companies have with creating a space for black people.
“I’m an HBCU alum, so that’s certainly why it’s personal. An HBCU represents a large part of my geography, the footprint I have, so it’s very natural for this to happen. Essence has a rich history in what they do, in the space they have managed for 50 years or so and we go back 80 years. We hired the first African-American PepsiCo intern back in 1940, so I feel like the partnership we have and Essence has is rich and we have a legacy of generations being very committed to this space.”
Along with exposing HBCUs with this initiative, the companies are also forming an internship program for HBCU students, named after PepsiCo’s first black intern, Allen McKellar Jr. The internship will kick off in the summer of 2020, which marks the 80th year of McKellar’s hiring. The application has yet to be opened, but there will be positions available for all fields including sales, marketing, supply chain, human resources, communications and more.
For now, HBCUs were being brought in the spotlight through this homecoming tour that started on October 4 and ended on November 2. At each institution, two HBCU women, an alumna and a current student, were honored at a luncheon for the work they have done in the black community. FAMU student, Robyn Seniors, was thrilled when she heard about the platform as well as being the first HBCU student to be recognized.
“It’s really nice to be the first HBCU and the first ever student to receive an award,” Seniors said. They’re trying to spotlight them [black women], like she doesn’t have next, she’s not waiting on anything, she’s got now. She’s doing things for her community, young black women and women in general, so I think that’s what’s really amazing about the award.”
Seniors became involved in community service from a young age and have done numerous service projects including forming a water drive for the residents of Flint, Michigan as a high school student and raising $30,000 for a cancer research center in her hometown, Tallahassee, Florida when she was 18. When Seniors was a freshman in college, she became the youngest SGA vice president in FAMU history during her spring semester and later went on to work with Andrew Gillum on his gubernatorial race. Seniors hopes that She Got Now will expand and applauds the formation of this program.
“It’s actually really great that two men started this and thought of this to honor and support black women in order to highlight them and give this as an example for younger black girls,” she said. “If you don’t ever see yourself in these spaces, you don’t ever think it’s possible and that’s why it’s so important for this younger generation of black girls to see.”
Along with Seniors, Rashan Ali was the alumna honored at FAMU. She is an actress, TV and radio personality and a philanthropist. Currently, Ali is the co-host of “Sister Circle”, a talk show on TV One, and has launched her own podcast named “The Cool Soror Podcast”, which discusses women’s and men’s stories who are in Greek lettered organizations. Her philanthropic efforts include founding Sporty Girls, Inc., a non-profit organization that encourages personal growth through participation in non-traditional sports.
The Howard University honorees were student Kayla Thompson and alumna Susan Kelechi Watson. Thompson began service at an early age, preparing meals with her church for the community. Then she went on to tutor with Reading Partners and planned service events for her choir and sorority. While in college, Kayla ran to become a member of the Howard University Royal Court with a platform titled #FindingYourTruthInService, aimed to inspire students to serve and uplift the community. Susan Kelechi Watson is an award-winning actress most known for her role as Beth Pearson on “This is Us”. She received her bachelor’s degree from Howard and her master’s degree from NYU. Watson also is involved with service, as she supports organizations focused on mentorships and the arts, including, Drama Club and Epic NEXT.
Teyoni Scrivner and Ashley Company received awards at Hampton University. Scrivner is currently a student at Hampton and owns a business called OrganiKSugar. The business works to teach youth that being fully dressed is the new fashion and that they can never be overdressed. The foundation is built on character, culture, couture and community service. OrganiKSugar mentors others and cultivates them to make good decisions when faced with adversity while encouraging individuality. Alumna Ashley Company is a world travel expert, international speaker, social entrepreneur and the visionary behind Jelani Women Travel and Jelani girls, Inc. She started a movement for women of color of all ages to reimagine Africa and redefine their concept of community and identity. Company organizes cultural immersion and service trips for women of color traveling to Africa while raising money for underserved youth in South Africa and the United States.
The last school on the tour was Norfolk State University and Miss Norfolk State University, Sandreca Citizen, and alumna Brianna Daniels were both honored. Sandreca Citizen is a member of multiple organizations on campus including: African Student Association, Robert C. Nusbaum Honors College, National Society of Leadership and Success and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She was recently crowned Miss Norfolk State University and is a well decorated student. Brianna Daniels is the first African-American woman to pit a vehicle in a NASCAR race. She was also a competitor on The Titan Games, a reality competition series testing men and women in tests of strength, endurance and mental fortitude.
All of the women who were honored have committed themselves to serving the community and setting milestones for other women of color. She Got Now is putting these women in the spotlight to serve as inspiration for all women of color and also decided to spotlight more than just these women on the tour.
A large part of the tour was displaying HBCU talent at a time when people from all over participate in the festivities of homecoming. Students had the chance to be shown off to people in the entertainment industry, such as DJ Envy, Doug E. Fresh, DJ Millie, Scottie Beam and Gia Peppers. The Hampton Got Talent competition featured a variety of singers, rappers and spoken word artists who were able to perform in front of students, alumni and other spectators. The Breakfast Club host, DJ Envy believes that this tour will help elevate black women and inspire younger girls.
(Hampton student Randall Williams after performing his spoken word piece along with host Gia Peppers during the tailgate)
(Heather and KaEl, the winners of the Hampton’s Got Talent competition)
“I mean it’s very big. They’re doing it for women and helping women build their brands [while] helping them in communications and business. The fact that they’re linked up and doing this all over the country is great. From FAMU, to Howard, to Hampton, to so many different schools, it’s just a privilege. It’s just something that I wish that I had when I was growing up and got to see women do, but I’m happy because my daughter will hopefully get to see this program,” said Envy.
(Mare the singer performing during the tailgate)
Other celebrities such as Tamia, Kash Doll and Rotimi performed during the tailgate. Doug E. Fresh viewed the varying artists from distinct time periods as an opportunity to connect people of different age groups in a cultural setting.
(Kash Doll during her performance at the She Got Now tailgate)
“I like to bring the excitement, the entertainment, as well as culturally connect to multi-cultural groups and age groups. I may do something for the 30s, for the 40s, for the 50s, for the 20s, [so] I’m touching a little bit of everybody,” said Fresh.
(Doug E. Fresh hosting the tailgate)
Fresh fully supports HBCUs and the promotion of black women through this platform.
He added, “I think it’s a deeper merge between black men working together to make a major difference and using their resources to make a major impact and I’m glad to be a part of it. Women are on fire. Black women are on fire. I’m hoping and I believe that this is the beginning of something that’s going to continue to expand. I’m all in. I put my chips in and I bet on black.”
Lewis is confident in the future of She Got Now and has already set plans in motion to bring the initiative to other HBCU campuses.
“We see the talent of the future. Investing back into HBCUs is personal for me and we’re very committed as a company. So, we put that professional and personal combination together, it’s unparalleled in my mind and really no one can match that. So that’s why I’m most excited about what we’re going to do, not only in the short term, but the long term as well,” Lewis said.
(Left to right: Doug E. Fresh, Tamia and Derek Lewis at the She Got Now tailgate)
The platform as a whole offers an opportunity for HBCU women to no longer be overlooked and take their place in the spotlight. Black women are taking over and this initiative provides business, networking and social opportunities for black women of all ages while passing down a strong legacy to a younger generation of girls.