(NEWARK, NJ) -- HBCU Heroes, a non-profit founded by CEO Tracey Pennywell and NBA veteran, George Lynch, is partnering with the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic Basketball Showcase to host the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic Career Summit presented by Amazon, December 17th at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ from 10:00am - 6:00pm. Registration is free and open to the public: HERE.
The goal of the Career Summit is to offer Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide, as well as job seekers in Newark and the Tri-State area, access to jobs, internships, networking, professional development workshops, and face-to-face interactions with hiring/HR managers.
A hybrid event, onsite and virtual attendees will be treated to fireside chats with athletes and entertainers on the keys to success themed around building a legacy. Speakers include: Waka Flocka Flame, Damon Dash (CEO/Dame Dash Studios) Michael Vick (Fox Sports/NFL Analyst) and wife Kijafa Vick (producer), Michael Rainey, Jr. (Actor/Power Book II: Ghost), Bill Bellamy (comedian/actor), Erika Alexander (actress/producer), Malik Yoba (actor/real estate developer), Vin Rock (Naughty By Nature), Claudia Jordan (Host/Fox Soul), Dupre' Kelly (Lords of the Underground), Mr. Serv-On (No Limit Records), and more.
City of Newark Mayor, Ras J. Baraka, will also welcome career summit attendees with an in-person keynote address to job seekers exploring opportunities sponsors are providing with recruitment aimed at hiring diverse candidates. Mayor Baraka is a proud alumnus of Howard University, one of the four HBCU official partner schools of the Legacy Classic weekend.
Mayor Baraka will be introduced by Taneshia Nash Laird, CEO of the Newark Symphony Hall. Laird, who has spearheaded Newark community outreach in partnership with Legacy Classic Career Summit organizer HBCU Heroes, has been integral in bridging the gap by recruiting additional local exhibitors, such as Hire Newark, through Project Director, Della Walker Jr. In addition, Laird helped to secure the City Of Newark’s involvement with the event. The career summit will now include a Workforce On Wheels Bus, staffed for recruitment and prominently featured on Championship Plaza. Additionally, an onsite and virtual recruitment booth, courtesy of the Newark Workforce Development Board will provide an array of additional job opportunities to attendees, orchestrated under the leadership of Karen S. Gaylord, Interim Executive Director.
Nationally, HBCU athletes turned NFL legends lending their voices to the career portion include: Tyrone Poole, 2x Super Bowl Champ/New England Patriots (Fort Valley State University alum), Hugh Douglas. Philadelphia Eagles (Central State Ohio alum), Everson Walls Super Bowl Champ/NY Giants (Grambling State University alum) and Eddie George, Retired All-Pro NFL Running Back (Head Football Coach, Tennessee State University). They’ll be joined by Legacy Classic HBCU basketball coaches Will Jones (Head Men's Basketball Coach/NCA&T), Edward Joyner, Jr., (Head Men's Basketball Coach/Hampton), and Kenneth Blakeney (Head Men’s Basketball Coach/Howard).
Pioneers across industries will also provide first-hand insight and how-tos on their journeys including Elton Brand GM/Philadelphia 76ers, Chaka Zulu/Co-CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records (Ludacris), James DuBose/GM/Head of Programming/FOX SOUL, Lindsay LaBennett/Sr. Dir.: Inclusion, Diversity & Equity/Wasserman, Ben Arnon/Co-Founder & CRO/Curio, Dr. Joseph Bryant/Exec. Dir. Rainbow PUSH, Taneshia Nash Laird President & CEO/Newark Symphony Hall, Kwame Jackson/motivational speaker, and Joyce "JJ" Jelks/Head of People & Culture at Wieden+Kennedy.
"I am super excited to be involved with such a great initiative and also connect with my HBCU fans,” said Michael Rainey, Jr., 20-year-old star of the wildly popular series Power Book II: Ghost (Starz). “Supporting HBCUs in receiving internships, better access to jobs and overall, just increasing their professional development is a pleasure and honor."
Attendees will start the weekend with access to Fortune 500 corporations, advertising agencies, entertainment companies, sports outlets, music labels and other hard-to-enter industries interested in diversifying their talent pipelines. Senior leaders from Invesco, a global independent investment management firm with $1.5 trillion assets under management, will host a panel discussion to share their experiences in the asset management industry and explore the different career paths available to graduates. HBCU Alumni will also have a special opportunity to meet leaders from Amazon’s Black Employee Network (BEN) HQ, attend their signature “Amazon In The City” x Legacy Classic networking event and discuss immediate career opportunities with leaders and hiring team members.
To further remove barriers for opportunity and make sure job seekers feel welcome, the Summit will not require attendees to wear business attire. Instead, they are encouraged to wear their HBCU & college paraphernalia. They’ll end with experiences in education, entrepreneurship, employment and entertainment. From the highly skilled HBCU talent pool to underserved Newark area job seekers, decreasing the wealth gap and driving economic growth are top pillars for this event.
Sponsors with recruitment booths will be available onsite and virtually via the Hopin digital platform, including Invesco, Amazon, Audible, Amazon Web Services, Morgan Stanley, Cigna, Capital One, NASDAQ, Intel, Marsh McLennan, Fox Soul, Harris Teeter, Pandora, Procter & Gamble, RingCentral, Goldman Sachs, TEKsystems, Wasserman, Wieden+Kennedy, Yahoo, SEQL, NASCAR and Turner Sports.
“HBCUs are critical to the growth and development of the world’s future leaders,” said Cheryl Wade/ Global Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Cigna. “As an HBCU alum, my college experience at NCA&T prepared me well for corporate and community leadership. Cigna is proud to participate and support HBCUs in receiving the recognition they deserve for the strong pipeline of qualified talent they produce to create more dynamic workforces and vibrant communities.”
"I am incredibly thrilled for the opportunity to support HBCU Heroes and the Legacy Classic Career Summit through our sponsorship with Capital One,” Terrance Bowman/Director, Diversity Talent Acquisition. It means a great deal to me to be in a position that further allows us to connect with all the HBCU students, alumni and community members in attendance. It’s through events like this that we cultivate connections with our future talent."
The career summit is the kickoff event to a power packed weekend anchored by the highly anticipated Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic Basketball Showcase. Turner Sports and Invesco QQQ are partnering with actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, WME Sports, the sports division of WME, an Endeavor Company, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment (HBSE) and Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media, to exclusively present the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic on Saturday, Dec. 18. The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, also held at the Prudential Center in Newark, will be an HBCU men’s college basketball showcase. It will feature Hampton University versus North Carolina Central University and Howard University versus North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) competing in a doubleheader airing on TNT. Tickets are on sale now: HERE
In addition to the Career Summit, the Legacy Classic is teaming up with Serena Williams’ Serena Ventures and MaC Venture Capital to give one lucky HBCU student or alumni startup owner up to $1 million dollars via the Legacy Classic HBCU Startup Pitch Competition presented by Amazon’s Black Business Accelerator and Audible. Serena Ventures and MaC Venture Capital will work with Invesco, Amazon Black Business Accelerator, Audible, Thirty Five Ventures, Harlem Capital and Cake Ventures to identify a winner of the competition who will receive their prize presented by both Michael B. Jordan and Serena Williams at the Legacy Classic on December 18th, as well as receive continual advisement from the board to ensure long-term success.
Raising scholarships for HBCU students is a cornerstone of the Career Summit and sponsors and trailblazers are lending a hand. Carter Bank & Trust is donating a $10,000 scholarship to a needs based NCA&T student and the $5000 Waka Flocka Flame Legacy Scholarship will be awarded to a qualifying HBCU student.
In addition to the tournament, HBCU students across campuses are represented by the Legacy Classic Ambassador Program, created by HBCU Heroes and the Legacy partners (WME Sports, Scout SE, Horizon Media, Obsidian Works and HBSE). Over 40 HBCU students are engaged in this semester-long program that provides weekly career seminars with elite industry executives and skills training workshops to reciprocate for amplifying the Legacy Classic weekend to their campuses and peers. Ambassadors will also gain hands-on, resume experience by volunteering in various capacities during the weekend, such as working with rapper Vin Rock at Naughty By Nature and Fox Soul’s career exhibition booths.
Tickets for the basketball portion of the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic start at just $25 plus applicable service fees, and are available for purchase online and at Prudential Center’s Box Office. .
Part of proceeds from the Invesco QQQ legacy Classic Basketball Showcase on December 18th will go to support organizations focused on advancing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), as well as the local Newark community.
The Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, founded in 2021, is a college basketball showcase featuring Historic Black Colleges and Universities, created by actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, WME Sports (the sports division of WME, an Endeavor company), Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, and Scout Sports and Entertainment, a division of Horizon Media. Turner Sports will televise the showcase, exclusively. The event also features immersive cultural experiences highlighting additional elements of HBCU life and culture, with a portion of the event proceeds benefiting HBCUs. Founding sponsor, Invesco QQQ, supports the event and initiative by bringing opportunities to participating players and schools, including financial education programs for the student-athletes. Esport non-profit, Cxmmunity, will host an “NBA 2K’ tournament in partnership with the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic, ahead of the event.
