Billionaire Robert F. Smith Hosts HBCU AWARE FEST 2026 – Atlanta’s Biggest HBCU Fundraiser Ever

"🚨 BREAKING: HBCU AWARE FEST 2026 is HERE! @RobertF_Smith & @StudentFreedom team up w/ @LiveNation for the BIGGEST HBCU fundraiser EVAH—GloRilla, Jill Scott, Metro Boomin SLAYING at State Farm Arena March 26 to wipe out student debt! $100M goal. Who's ready? 🔥 #HBCUAwareFest #HBCUWeekNOW Tickets: awarefest.org

Headlined by GloRilla, Jill Scott, John Legend, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kirk Franklin, Metro Boomin, Jeezy, Tems, Common, Coco Jones, and special guests 2 Chainz and Big Boi, every ticket sold directly attacks the $1.7 trillion student debt crisis disproportionately crushing Black graduates.

 

 

Billionaire Robert F. Smith and his Student Freedom Initiative are igniting Atlanta with HBCU AWARE FEST 2026 – a historic week-long celebration of Black culture and economic freedom from March 21-26, 2026, centered in the legendary Atlanta University Center (Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, and Morehouse School of Medicine). This isn’t just another festival: it’s the largest HBCU fundraiser ever, targeting $100 million to eliminate student debt, expand income-contingent loans, and fuel scholarships and internships for HBCU students nationwide. Expect celebrity basketball games, Divine 9 step shows, comedy nights, wealth-gap workshops, and powerhouse panels featuring Mayor Andre Dickens, Chris Paul, Angel Reese, and more – all leading up to the blockbuster benefit concert on March 26 at State Farm Arena.

100% of concert proceeds flow through the Student Freedom Initiative’s revolutionary pay-it-forward model that forgives loans for grads serving underserved communities.