Local Small Business Awarded with Big Helping Hand from BeyGOOD and the NAACP.
Theatre Teaching Artist & Acting Coach ShaVonne Banks-Davis and her company Acting With Mrs. Davis got a huge lift from Beyoncé Carter’s BeyGOOD foundation and the NAACP. NAACP Empowerment Programs in union with BeyGOOD’s Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund united to expand economic opportunity by awarding grants of $10,000 on the 15th of each month through the end of 2020. After a friend told Davis about the fund mere days before the deadline, she hurried, applied, and is beyond grateful to be etched in history as one of its recipients. For the Fort Worth native, the honor of this grant is personally inspiring on many levels.
“I am absolutely a Beyonce’ fan and I am most certainly in the “Bey-Hive”! I admire how a Texas girl can start from the bottom, rise to success, and give back to the community. I desire to do the same through my love for Theatre Arts and working with youth. It is such an honor for my work to be highlighted and supported by Beyoncé and the NAACP.”
ShaVonne Banks-Davis
Through Acting With Mrs. Davis, ShaVonne Banks-Davis seeks to impact change within communities throughout the DFW area, nationally and even globally, saying, “There are so many life skills to be learned from the study of Theatre. It is not only acting, but public speaking, critical thinking, team-building, culture, and self-confidence are all by-products of the academia of Theatre.” Upon returning from Clark Atlanta University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts, the Fort Worth native taught in the Fort Worth, Dallas, and Grand Prairie School Districts. While teaching, she realized the potency with which she could reach her students, their shared love of Theatre Arts.
After spending time in Davis’ classroom, students with no experience and no initial interest in Theatre were soon performing for the community, winning Theatre competitions, and being accepted into advanced Fine Arts programs. This momentous joy punctuates Davis’ vision for her company. Acting With Mrs. Davis is a rescue for many children who regularly experience the heartbreak of having to discontinue their pursuit (of Theatre/Acting) because they can’t afford youth acting programs. Davis learned firsthand while teaching at-risk youth that the challenge is seldom interest, the real challenge is affordability. Knowing that many parents can’t afford extra-curricular enrichment programs is at the heart of Acting With Mrs. Davis’ activism through the arts.
Her teen group ended the year strong with a virtual production of “Bone Soup: A Kwanzaa Story” which aired live on Facebook. It’s no mystery that after spending time in Davis’ classroom, students with no experience and no initial interest in Theatre are soon budding thespians with their sights set on a future on stage.
“There are so many life skills to be learned from the study of Theatre. It is not only acting, but public speaking, critical thinking, team-building, culture, and self-confidence are all by-products of the academia of Theatre.”
ShaVonne Banks-Davis
Acting With Mrs. Davis endeavors to pay it forward, ensuring that cost will never be a deterrent to youth experiencing an opportunity to learn and love theatrical expression. Thanks to the NAACP’s Empowerment Programs partnership with BeyGOOD’s Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund, Acting with Mrs. Davis will provide free virtual Theatre Arts classes for children ages 2-18 beginning with its spring season which begins in February.
“I really hope that the recognition provides more opportunities and collaborations with other like-minded individuals and organizations so I can expand my programs for the community. There is so much hidden talent in our community and our youth need a creative outlet to express themselves.”
ShaVonne Banks-Davis
Mrs. Davis also plans to make a scholarship donation to the Maroon 9 Virtual Fine Arts Competition and is currently conceptualizing the 2nd Annual DFW Virtual Youth Enrichment Summit for Middle and High School students. The funds will also aid in the planning and preparation for the “Youth Need Love” summer program for previously adjudicated youth.
When asked who’d she like to thank, Davis began, “I want to thank my parents, family, and friends for motivating me to enter the field of education and encouraging me to start Acting With Mrs. Davis. I want to thank every single student that I have taught for showing me the magic that can happen through Theatre Arts and helping me to recognize my gift. I also want to thank Clark Atlanta University and my favorite Professor, the late Carol Mitchell-Leon for showing me the tools to be a compassionate educator and leader. I live by the CAU motto, “I will find a way or make one.””
To learn more about Mrs. Davis, Acting With Mrs. Davis or sign up for classes, visit: www.actingwithmrsdavis.com.
Beyoncé And JAY-Z Through The BeyGOOD Initiative And The Shawn Carter Foundation Announce A New Scholarship Program To Award One Exceptional Senior High School Student, With Financial Needs, In US Markets On Their OTRII Tour
OVER ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN 100K SCHOLARSHIPS TO BE AWARDED THIS BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON TO ONE QUALIFIED STUDENT IN ATLANTA, ORLANDO, MIAMI, ARLINGTON, NEW ORLEANS, HOUSTON, PHOENIX, LOS ANGELES, SAN DIEGO, SANTA CLARA AND SEATTLE
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF AMERICA ON BOARD TO CHOOSE THE RECIPIENT IN EACH MARKET WITH WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED ON TOUR STOPS
JAY-Z and Beyonce by Raven Varona (PRNewsfoto/Parkwood Entertainment)
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter announce a new scholarship program that will award one exceptional senior high school student with financial needs, 100K to put toward their enrollment in a college or university for the academic year 2018-2019. The award will serve as a dedicated university-based fund for each selected student throughout the duration of the student’s enrollment.
This back to school season, students in OTRll Tour markets, who are preparing for college, will be chosen by Boys and Girls Club of America. Qualified students must demonstrate academic excellence and show financial needs that would make it hard for them to enter a college or university for the academic year 2018-2019.
The markets will include Atlanta, where the OTRll Tour plays at Mercedes Benz Stadium tonight and Sunday, August 26, Orlando, Miami, Arlington, New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Clara and Seattle.
The Carters have had a long history of helping students with The Shawn Carter Foundation spearheading college tours to HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and providing scholarships to college bound students nationwide
Beyoncé, through her BeyGOOD initiative, created the Formation Scholars Award, a merit program, in 2017 to help female students start or further their college education, and this year announced the Homecoming Scholars Award, a second merit program, opened to qualified students, regardless of gender, to enter or continue their studies at one of eight HBCUs.
The globally lauded and hugely successful OTRll Tour of iconic and historic stadiums started on June 6th in Cardiff, UK and will end on October 4th in Seattle, Washington.
About BeyGOOD Founded in 2013 during the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, BeyGOOD is an extension of Beyoncé’s charitable heart. Through impactful dynamic partnerships, BeyGOOD’s mission is to set an example of giving back and paying it forward while empowering others to do the same with what they have in their own communities. BeyGOOD is built on the belief that we are all in this together and each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.
About Shawn Carter Foundation The Shawn Carter Foundation was founded as a public charity in 2003 by Gloria Carter and her son, Shawn “JAY Z” Carter, Since the Foundation’s inception, over $4MM have supported initiatives to empower youth and communities in need through the Foundation’s programs: Scholarship Fund, College Prep and Exposure, International Exposure, Professional Development, Scholar Support and Community & Goodwill Programs.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America For more than 150 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA.org) has enabled young people most in need to achieve great futures as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve nearly 4 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs are located in cities, towns, public housing and on Native lands throughout the country, and serve military families in BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations worldwide. They provide a safe place, caring adult mentors, fun and friendship, and high-impact youth development programs on a daily basis during critical non-school hours. Club programs promote academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 54 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta. Learn more at Facebook and Twitter.
$25,000 Scholarships Awarded To One Student From Xavier University, Wilberforce University, Tuskegee University And Bethune-Cookman University – All Historically Black Colleges And Universities (HBCUs)
Four More Scholars From HBCUs Texas Southern University, Fisk University, Grambling State University And Morehouse College To Be Awarded $25,000 Each Through A Partnership With Google.org
Scholars include a mass communications master’s degree candidate from Grambling State University, a healthcare administration major from Texas Southern University, a dual major in English and music from Fisk University and a criminal justice major from Bethune-Cookman University
(PRNewsfoto/Parkwood Entertainment/BeyGOOD)
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announces the eight recipients of the Homecoming Scholars Award for the 2018-2019 academic year. The Homecoming Scholars Award Program for 2018-2019 is a merit program and was announced in April. It is the second scholarship merit program from Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and BeyGOOD. The Formation Scholars Award Program was announced in the spring of 2017 and was open to female students across a variety of studies.
The Homecoming Scholars Award Program, announced after Beyoncé’s brilliant first weekend Coachella performance, an homage to excellence in education and a celebration of the homecoming weekend experience, named four universities and extended the program to all qualifying students at the universities, regardless of gender.
The 2018-2019 disciplines include literature, creative arts, African-American studies, science, education, business, communications, social sciences, computer science, engineering and more. All applicants must maintain a 3.5 GPA or above.
Google.org partnered with BeyGOOD following Beyoncé’s second weekend Coachella performance, to add four more schools, including Fisk University, the alma mater of Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles and Morehouse College, the alma mater of Parkwood President & COO, Steve Pamon.
All qualifying applicants submitted a 1,000-word essay about one African or African-American thought leader in their field who has inspired them to achieve their goals (educational, professional, and/or community-driven). The essay included how they plan to contribute to history through their own life’s work. All finalists and the eight recipients were selected by committees from the colleges and universities.
The Homecoming Scholars for 2018-2019 are:
ALLANA J. BAREFIELD Xavier University
ERIN EVANS Wilberforce University
CALEB WASHINGTON Tuskegee University
DEMETRIUS WEAVER Bethune-Cookman University
JORDAN DAVIS Texas Southern University
DARTISHA MOSLEY Fisk University
CLETUS EMOKPAE Grambling State University
KAMERON WILLIS Morehouse College
ABOUT BeyGOOD Founded in 2013 during the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, BeyGOOD is an extension of Beyoncé’s charitable heart. Through impactful dynamic partnerships, BeyGOOD’s mission is to set an example of giving back and paying it forward while empowering others to do the same with what they have in their own communities. BeyGOOD is built on the belief that we are all in this together and each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.
For more information on all the Homecoming Scholars, click the school links here:
Beyoncé, through her BeyGOOD initiative, has established the Homecoming Scholars Award Program for students attending Xavier University, Wilberforce University, Tuskegee University and Bethune-Cookman University – all Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Beyoncé announced the program when she made history at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival by becoming the first Black woman to headline in the festival’s 19-year run.
The show, with its homage to excellence in education, was a celebration of the homecoming weekend experience, the highest display of college pride. The energy-filled production put the spotlight on art and culture, mixing the ancient and the modern, which resonated masterfully through the marching band, performance art, choir and dance. It was the impetus to mark her second scholarship program.
One winner from each school will win a scholarship award for the academic year for study in various fields.
The Homecoming Scholars Award Program will expand to all qualifying students at the four universities, regardless of gender. The disciplines will include literature, creative arts, African- American studies, science, education, business, communications, social sciences, computer science and engineering. All applicants must maintain a 3.5 GPA or above. All finalists and winners will be selected by the universities. Winners will be announced in the summer.
The deadline for this scholarship is usually in June of each year, and the award amount is usually $25,000.
$25,000 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO WOMEN STUDENTS FROM BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC, HOWARD UNIVERSITY, PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN AT THE NEW SCHOOL AND SPELMAN COLLEGE
Scholars include a sophomore from Berklee College of Music Boston Conservatory at Berklee, a graduate student from Howard University, a second-year student from Parsons School of Design at The New School, and a junior from Spelman College
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter posing in her BeyGOOD T-shirt. Photo Credit: Beyoncé/ Instagram
Today, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter announces the four winners of The Formation Scholars Award for the 2017-2018 academic year. The establishment of the merit scholarship program was announced on April 24, in celebration of the one-year anniversary of LEMONADE, her critically-acclaimed and globally-lauded visual album, through her BeyGOOD initiative.
Current and incoming female undergraduate and graduate students at Berklee College of Music, including those enrolled at the college’s campuses in Boston and Valencia, Spain, Berklee online and Boston Conservatory at Berklee, Howard University in Washington, DC, Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City, and Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, were eligible for the scholarships.
The Formation Scholars award encourages and supports young women who are bold, creative, conscious, confident and unafraid to think outside the box. Students’ disciplines included creative arts, music, literature and African-American studies. All applicants maintain a 3.5 GPA or above and submitted a short essay stating how LEMONADE inspired their educational goals. All finalists and winners were selected by committees from the colleges and universities.
The winners are:
SADIYA RAMOS, Sophomore Berklee College of Music Sadiya Ramos is currently studying dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. She is originally from Suffern, New York. Ramos began dancing at the age of six under the guidance of Arthur Mitchell at the Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she was asked to perform with their ensemble at the Kennedy Center and the White House. By age eight, she was studying at Ballet Academy East’s pre-professional program with Darla Hoover. Ramos worked with François Perron at the French Academie of Ballet as a teenager, where she acquired the instruction needed to develop her individual style and improve her performance skills. She joined the Paul Taylor Teen Ensemble four years later to increase her knowledge of modern dance after her classical ballet training. During her time there, she performed as a soloist in an excerpt from Taylor’sBrandenburgs. While training with the Debbie Allen Dance Academy during the summer of 2015, Ramos was invited to perform with Allen’s dancers for the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics at the Los Angeles Coliseum for an audience of 62,000. She was also selected to dance on stage as Stevie Wonder performed at the event.
Maya Rogers, Graduate Student Howard University Maya Rogers is a songwriter and vocalist who believes in the power that music has to heal, connect us with one another, and help us understand ourselves more deeply. Maya has returned to school to study music therapy after recovering from a traumatic brain injury in 2013. She describes her recovery as the most frightening and fascinating time of her life, and music played a large role in her regaining the ability to read, write, play music, and sing. Maya will be the first student to graduate from Howard University with a certificate in Music Therapy, a program that was created with her in mind. In 2015, Maya created Her.Voice, a program empowering young girls through singing and creative writing. Maya received her bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music, and can be heard on television and in films such as Alpha Dog, Made In Hollywood, and Hearts of Christmas.
AVERY YOUNGBLOOD, Second-Year Student Parsons School of Design at The New School Avery Youngblood is a recent Stanford University graduate, Class of 2016 and an undergraduate student in the AAS (Associates) Graphic Design program at Parsons School of Design at The New School, Class of 2018. From Dallas, Texas, and one of six children, she loves being with her family and her four dogs at home. As an undergraduate at Stanford she studied Linguistics and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Avery discovered that it was possible to translate her creative curiosity for design by focusing on language and the social interaction that takes place in our multicultural society, and the variety of platforms we use to connect with one another. As we reach across boundaries of race, gender, sexuality, religion, political stance, and so much more, Avery is prepared to take an active role in building relationships and reaching out to an audience that represents the diversifying voices of our social world through design and other creative outlets.
BRIA PAIGE, Junior Spelman College Bria Paige is a rising junior English major at Spelman College from Jackson, Mississippi. At Spelman, Bria is invested in her academics as she maintains membership in the Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program, Alpha Lambda Delta honor society, and is a Dean’s List scholar. In addition, Bria holds various leadership positions, including Spelman Student Government Association (SSGA) secretary of academic affairs and co-president of the English Club. Previously, she served as Sophomore Class Council president, managing editor of The BluePrint and treasurer of the English Club. Recently, Bria was selected as a UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow, which will provide support and training towards her plan to pursue doctoral studies in English literature and Black feminist scholarship. Bria will attend the Mellon program’s summer institute at Emory University before returning to Spelman in the fall.
ABOUT BeyGOOD Founded in 2013 during the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, BeyGOOD is an extension of Beyoncé’s charitable heart. Through impactful dynamic partnerships, BeyGOOD’s mission is to set an example of giving back and paying it forward while empowering others to do the same with what they have in their own communities. BeyGOOD is built on the belief that we are all in this together and each and every one of us can make a difference by giving back.
For more information on all the Formation Scholars, click here:
