The City of Atlanta will serve as the host of this groundbreaking partnership that aims to raise $100 million to support HBCUs

In a groundbreaking alliance that unites the power of music, the promise of education, and the pulse of Black culture, Student Freedom Initiative is proud to announce a bold new partnership with Live Nation Urban aimed at addressing one of the most urgent challenges facing Black America: the student loan debt crisis.

The movement ignites in the City of Atlanta under the leadership of Mayor Andre Dickens. In the Spring of 2026, Atlanta will serve as the host of HBCU AWARE FEST – a nationwide call to action driven by music, culture, and education. Together, Live Nation Urban and Student Freedom Initiative will launch conversations that cut through the silence and spark action. The goal is not only to inform and entertain through workshops, panel discussions, and live music, but also to educate the nation about the contribution of HBCUs to local and national economies and create a sense of urgency to provide legitimate and sustainable pathways to wealth for students attending HBCUs.

Black college undergraduates carry an average of $38,000 in student debt. For graduate students, this figure is even higher. This has a crushing impact on Black futures, contributing to 74% of Black graduates delaying homeownership and 51% delaying family planning. With these staggering statistics, it is not surprising that the wealth gap continues to widen.

“HBCUs have always been the cornerstone of Black academic achievement — our historic institutions produce 80% of Black doctors, 50% of Black engineers, and 40% of Black dentists. For over a century, HBCUs have been critical drivers of the Black middle class in America and continue to be economic engines within their communities. Yet, their undergraduate and graduate students are disproportionately burdened by the cost of achieving that excellence,” said Keith B. Shoates, President and CEO of Student Freedom Initiative. “Home to 10% of Black students and historically under-resourced, our HBCUs and their graduates have achieved tremendous results. Imagine what could be achieved if they had additional resources and there was a broader understanding and recognition of their contributions to the national and local economies.”

“Live Nation Urban is committed to Black excellence in music and culture, and today we are proud to stand with our partners at Student Freedom Initiative to build a national movement of allies, artists, activists, and students to support the institutions that are the foundation of our culture,” said Shawn Gee, President of Live Nation Urban.

“Our Administration’s North Star is to make Atlanta the best place in the country to raise a family. We are home to the best HBCUs in the nation at the AUC and consider Clark, Spelman, Morehouse and Morehouse School of Medicine an integral part of our family. As the host city, we join Student Freedom Initiative and Live Nation Urban in launching this vital discussion, integrating the greater-Atlanta community into the planned events, highlighting our city’s Black excellence at our HBCUs and providing their scholars the resources essential to grow, learn, thrive and pitch in to Atlanta’s Group Project,” said Mayor Andre Dickens, City of Atlanta.

This is the beginning of a movement of scale. We are sounding the alarm and setting the stage for systemic change. We’re not just solving a crisis — we’re creating a future.

Join our movement and sign up for more information at https://www.awarefest.org.

About Live Nation Urban

Live Nation Urban (LNU) is a joint venture co-owned by entrepreneur and music artist manager Shawn Gee and Live Nation, the world’s leading live entertainment company. The company remains North America’s preeminent producer of concert experiences, festivals, and platforms headlined, curated, and owned by black talent, setting the tone for culture with over a dozen sought-after festival brands such as The Roots Picnic, Broccoli City, Exodus Music & Arts Festival, ONE Musicfest, Strength of a Woman, and more.

Beyond their captivating live events, Live Nation Urban has established themselves as key social architects in black culture with their innovative initiatives that include Juneteenth: A Global Celebration (broadcast on CNN), Kerry Washington’s THICKER THAN WATER book tour, and a special Hip-Hop 50 event at the home of Vice President Kamala Harris in addition to tours by artists such as Ari Lennox, Babyface, Kirk Franklin, Lil Wayne, Davido, Charlie Wilson, Jeezy, Jagged Edge, LL Cool J, Jill Scott, Coco Jones, Jodeci, RuPaul, and Raphael Saadiq. The LNU-produced “A Grammy Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop” special garnered a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards for “Outstanding Variety Show.” Live Nation Urban continues to grow across hip-hop, R&B, soul, and gospel as the most trusted purveyor of live urban music. Learn more about Live Nation Urban at https://livenationurban.com/.

About Student Freedom Initiative

The Student Freedom Initiative is reducing the wealth gap through the lens of education. Our mission is to provide students attending our participating institutions freedom in professional and life choices by increasing their social and economic mobility. Student Freedom Initiative supports students and institutions through a private education loan alternative to Parent PLUS loans, internships and industry-driven certifications, a microgrant program for emergencies, financial literacy tools, and institutional infrastructure upgrades.

Student Freedom Initiative has received generous contributions from Robert F. Smith, Fund 2 Foundation, Cisco, Jane Street, Prudential Financial, First Republic, the Walmart Foundation, and Target. Our programs have been supported by the Business Roundtable’s Racial Equity & Justice Subcommittee on Education, and many others.

To learn more, visit https://StudentFreedomInitiative.org or follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

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