Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the world’s leading Black-owned spirits brand, is proud to launch its second annual HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, a nationwide initiative dedicated to supporting HBCUs.
With a goal of raising $1.4 million, this inspiring initiative aims to provide full in-state tuition scholarships to students at accredited HBCUs.
The campaign, which began on January 15, 2024 (in honor of MLK Jr. Day) and will run through June 19, 2024 (in honor of Juneteenth), invites individuals nationwide to participate in the fundraising effort.
Emphasizing the pivotal role of HBCUs in nurturing academic excellence and promoting equity, this initiative highlights the urgency to address long-standing underfunding issues.
In 2023, widespread reports revealed that federal officials had alerted 16 states to their underfunding of HBCUs, amounting to nearly $13 billion over the past three decades, according to analysis by the U.S. Department of Education. Tennessee, the home state of Uncle Nearest, was singled out for having the most significant underfunding of its school’s land grants.
Despite representing less than 3% of the nation’s colleges, HBCUs have consistently produced a substantial portion of Black professionals, including doctors, attorneys, and judges.
Fawn Weaver, CEO and founder of Uncle Nearest emphasizes the brand’s commitment to ensuring financial barriers do not hinder talented students from receiving the education they deserve. Weaver shares, “Before we sold our first bottle of Uncle Nearest, we were already funding the college education of Nearest Green’s descendants. Every semester, writing those checks brought me immense joy, knowing the significant impact they would have on each student’s life. This same feeling resurfaced when I began writing tuition checks to HBCUs for our Old Fashioned Challenge. It’s an honor, and my hope is that we can continue this tradition annually with the checks growing larger as the Uncle Nearest whiskey family expands.”
“Uncle Nearest gives a lot, with ‘pulling as we climb’ being part of our DNA right from the start,” said Victoria Eady Butler, great-great-granddaughter of Nearest Green and four-time Master Blender of the Year. “But this challenge is something special, ’cause we’re inviting our whiskey family to join us in giving back. Seeing the excitement from them, and our thousands of retail, restaurant, bar, hotel, and airline partners across the country even before this year’s challenge kicked off, well, that lets me know we’ve started something extraordinary. To our whiskey family and partners everywhere, thank y’all!”
For more information on the HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge, including a list of participating bars, restaurants, and retailers, and to follow along on the road to $1.4 million raised, visit www.oldfashionedcocktail.com.
The post Uncle Nearest Launches Second Annual HBCU Old Fashioned Challenge appeared first on SHOPPE BLACK.
