Southern Company joins HBCU Week Foundation, Disney and the Propel Center to help make attending an Historically Black College and University a reality for local students during what is anticipated to be the largest ever HBCU Week event. More than 5,000 students including seniors from Atlanta Public and Birmingham City schools are expected to attend.

HBCU Week, created by the HBCU Week Foundation, is designed to encourage high-school aged students to enroll into Historically Black Colleges and Universities, provide scholarship dollars for their education and help cultivate a pipeline of diverse talent. A central focus of the Orlando, Fla. event, set for Oct. 6-9 at Walt Disney World Resort, is a college fair. Southern Company and its partners will provide a pair of $50,000 scholarships for students to help advance their education at an HBCU.

Each scholarship will be paid in four equal installments, one per year to cover tuition and fees. The first scholarship will be awarded on Friday, Oct.7 at 11 a.m. ET, at the HBCU Week College Fair while the second will be offered through an application process administered by the Propel Center with the recipient announced on Thursday, Nov. 10.

At Friday's college fair, students equipped with their tnarscripts and standardized test scores will have the opportunity to receive on-spot admission as well as scholarships and awards from the more than 50 HBCUs in attendance.

"HBCUs have a deep and long legacy in shaping and lifting up the leaders of tomorrow," said Chris Womack, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company. "Education is a vital component of success. By alleviating affordability, one of the largest barriers to education, we are helping to ensure the success of companies like ours everywhere."

Southern Company is committed to advancing equity within our company and communities we serve. One such commitment toward these goals is the company's relationship with the Propel Center. In January 2020, Southern Company, along with Apple, became a founding partner of the Propel Center, a first-of-its-kind, global technology and innovation hub that serves all 101 HBCUs. As part of the partnership, the Southern Company Foundation provided a $25 million investment aimed at elevating and amplifying HBCU institutions and helping create new opportunities for students to become future leaders, innovators, and trailblazers.  

"Attaining a college education helps break the cycle of poverty for Blacks and people of color and offer exposure and opportunity that was once unattainable," said Womack. "We want the best, most-inclusive workforce today, tomorrow and beyond. Our investments in HBCUs and Propel are one way we can reach that goal."