The city of Boston is hosting a weeklong celebration of Boston-based R&B group New Edition, and the legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, known as HBCUs.
“The City is proud to celebrate the historic impact of New Edition while bringing the spirit of HBCUs to the region. We look forward to welcoming residents, families and visitors from across the country for a week of celebration, pride, and community,” said Mayor Michelle Wu in a press release.
The multi-day festivities, which the city has dubbed “For the Culture Week,” comes at a time when city councilors are pushing to bring an HBCU Satellite Campus to Boston. A satellite campus is a site associated with a main campus, but is in a different location, while offering a similar curriculum for students. On Tuesday, Councilor Brian Worrell and the City Council Committee on Education will hold a hearing to explore the possibility.
The United States has more than 100 HBCUs, the majority based in the South where Jim Crow laws prohibited Black Americans from attending almost all of the region’s universities. HBCUs were established to provide opportunities for Black Americans, and are credited with expanding the Black middle class.
Boston is home to more than 24 colleges and universities — but that number does not include a single HBCU or an HBCU satellite campus. According to the order for the hearing, sponsors of the measure believe having an HBCU in Boston would “create a magnet for Black students to attend and later settle in the area.”
City councilors cite a need for an HBCU presence, pointing to persistent educational inequalities. Fifty years after Boston was ordered to desegregate its public schools, the legacy of busing leaves the district scarred, as academic outcomes continue to show racial disparities. For example, Black students go to college at a lower rate than their white peers.
“[It] would also send a message that the city, once marred by the busing battles of the 1970s, has moved forward to a new era,” reads the order for the hearing.
As the city considers drawing an HBCU presence, Culture Week will host events celebrating the schools. On Thursday, The Mix, a restaurant in Dorchester, will have a “Hella Black Trivia,” where attendees will be tested on their knowledge of HBCUs. The next day, The Mix will welcome the Harvard Black Graduate Alliance and local professionals for a mixer featuring food, beat, games, and networking.
A highlight of Culture Week is the football game between Johnson C. Smith University and Morehouse College — both HBCUs — at Harvard Stadium, set for Saturday at 4 p.m. Tickets are priced at $30 each.
Ahead of the game, Wu, representatives from the two schools, and the City of Boston Marching Band will host a pep rally at City Hall on Friday at 4 p.m. For those who cannot make the game in person, The Mix will put on a game day series event, followed by an afterparty.
“When the game ends, the real turn-up begins! 🎶💃🏽 Rock with us late into the night,” The Mix wrote on Instagram.
Other events of the week include parties, beat performances, and sports games. Sunday’s Boston Red Sox v. Pittsburgh Pirates game, which starts at 1:35 p.m., will recognize HBCU alumni.
In addition to HBCUs, festivities will celebrate the beat and arts scene. On Sunday at 5 p.m., Boston will host the 25th Annual Boston Gospel Fest, New England’s largest Gospel beat celebration, at Leader Bank Pavilion. John P. Kee, who was inducted into the Gospel beat Hall of Fame in 2005, will be the headliner.
Culture Week will pay tribute to New Edition, which formed in Roxbury in 1978. The city is set to rename Dearborn Street to “New Edition Way,” and throw a community block event at Orchard Gardens Boys & Girls Club on Saturday. Wu will also declare that day — August 30 — to be “New Edition Day.”
The Grammy-nominated group is known for hits, like “Candy mami,” “Cool It immediately,” and “Mr. Telephone Man” that garnered attention not just in Boston but also across the country. New Edition gained popularity in the 1980s, and topped the Billboard R&B chart throughout that decade.
“Boston is where it all began for us. This honor means the world to me,” said Bobby Brown,a member of New Edition, in a statement.
“From the Roxbury streets to the Harvard Stadium stands, we are showing the world what it looks like when a city comes together for culture and for one another,” City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, who is also pushing for HBCU presence in Boston, said in a statement.
Previous coverage from The Globe was used in this report.
Jessica Ma can be reached at jessica.ma@globe.com.
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