NBA legend LeBron James and business partner Maverick Carter are embarking on a mini-national tour of historically black colleges and universities with their popular podcast, “The Shop UNINTERRUPTED.”
The pair’s SpringHill Company will commence the “The Shop UNINTERRUPTED HBCU Tour” at the homecoming weekend at Tennessee State University on Friday, Oct. 13, and then replicate those efforts at Hampton University in Virginia and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University.
Calling all HBCU students. 🗣 The Shop is going back on the road.
Introducing The Shop HBCU Tour — a three-city event that starts at Tennessee State University on October 13.
🎟️: https://t.co/uw0fFjVPGY pic.twitter.com/ilrbwct8AM
— The Shop UNINTERRUPTED (@TheShopUN) October 9, 2023
“We selected these three schools for various reasons, including their impact and how they empower their students,” the “The Shop” co-creator Paul Rivera told Andscape.
“From Tennessee State being the first HBCU to launch a hockey program, North Carolina A&T being the largest HBCU that graduates the most Black engineers in America, and Hampton’s rich history with housing the oldest museum of the African diaspora in the U.S., these schools are trailblazers in their own right.”
We’re excited to announce this partnership with various HBCUs to not only continue to celebrate community, but cultivate conversations amongst the next generation of Black innovators.
The tour is 18+ only.
— The Shop UNINTERRUPTED (@TheShopUN) October 9, 2023
Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover described her excitement of the endeavor to Andscape:
“We are pleased to be a part of ‘The Shop’s’ HBCU tour and to kick off the initiative that will bring awareness to our institutions,” Glover said. “TSU has an amazing history, outstanding students and distinguished alumni, and we are excited to share this with the world, especially during our homecoming celebration.”
North Carolina A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. explained to Andscape that this platform will illuminate the many positive attributes of HBCUs to a new generation.
“We’re excited about this project and all the great work that UNINTERRUPTED and LeBron James are doing to share HBCU excellence more significantly on a national stage,” Martin stated. “Having them here during the Greatest Homecoming on Earth will give America a chance to see what makes this celebration and our university so special.”
