Recruiting fair is among largest for HBCUs

Houston will host one of the largest college fairs for historically black colleges and universities this weekend.

A virtual and in-person college fair will be held Saturday at the Houston Marriott South organized by the Houston HBCU Alumni Association, a nonprofit group of alumni from more than 50 Black colleges. Prospective students and their families can learn about HBCUs around the country and connect with recruiters.

Sponsored by H-E-B and held during HBCU Awareness Month, the hybrid fair will have more than 30 colleges virtually and more than 20 in person, along with the U.S. Coast Guard and Army ROTC, which will also recruit in-person.

Veronica L. Johnson Williams, president of the Houston HBCU Alumni Association, said the college fair is unique in that it gives “undivided attention” to HBCU recruiters and students intending to go to historically Black colleges — meaning they don’t have to compete with entertainment or frills.

“It’s for the sole purpose of recruiting and to assist students who are transitioning from high school to college,” Williams said.

The fair, which is free to all attendees, will also feature workshops on financial aid and the college experience, door prizes, giveaways and scholarship opportunities. One student will be awarded a $2,500 scholarship made possible by H-E-B.

Mayor Sylvester Turner will deliver opening remarks, and U.S. Reps. Al Green, who graduated from Houston’s HBCU Texas Southern University, and Sheila Jackson Lee will also be in attendance.

The Houston Health Department will provide on-site screening protocols for COVID-19 and the hotel.

Created in 1986, the local HBCU alumni organization has evolved into a group of professionallytrained alumni recruiters to assist their HBCUs — some of which might have difficulty with funding or traveling — with bringing in new students. The group has worked to recruit students through various events for more than a decade and has been hosting the fair for more than five years.

In March 2020, before COVID-19 hit Houston, the group’s HBCU recruiting fair attracted more than 1,000 attendees and more than 50 HBCUs and major Black organizations.