UNCF Honors Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley with The Keeper of the Flame Award

Highest honor for partnerships supporting UNCF’s mission and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

UNCF is proud to announce that Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley has been presented with the organization’s highest honor for partnerships, The Keeper of the Flame Award.

“Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley is one of our nation’s foremost faith leaders and is a staunch supporter of UNCF and its mission to help underrepresented students to fulfill their dreams of attending college,” said Maurice E. Jenkins, Jr., executive vice president and chief development officer, UNCF. “We are thrilled to present Rev. Wesley with UNCF’s highest honor for partnerships—The Keeper of the Flame Award—because of his leadership, commitment and vision as a champion for UNCF’s continued success to support our nation’s historically Black colleges and universities and the students they serve.”

For more than 30 years, Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA, where Wesley is the senior pastor, has supported UNCF and raised more than $1 million to assist HBCUs and their students including gifts of $250,000 each of the last two years.

“It is the enduring legacy of scholastic excellence, open access to education for all students, and fostering community leadership that makes the partnership between UNCF and Alfred Street Baptist Church a natural fit. Our organizations are inextricably connected by the shared commitment to spiritual enrichment, financial support, and ongoing mentoring of students.  As a father, a pastor, and a champion for higher education, I am grateful to be recognized for something for which I care deeply,” said Wesley.

Wesley serves as chairman of UNCF’s National Faith and Education Initiative Advisory Council, which consists of a broad spectrum of religious leaders who have committed to work in support of educational opportunities for UNCF students.

Since 1944, UNCF and the faith community have invested in each other. Churches and other places of worship around the country have helped HBCUs keep their doors open and their dedication to education strong. And UNCF has reached out around the country to raise the funds their students need to become the next generation of ministers and church-supporting congregants.

Throughout the year, UNCF works with churches and faith groups across the country to implement UNCF Sundays, a day of national support to HBCUs from congregations, culminating on a specific Sunday in February.

The UNCF National Faith and Education Initiative is an effort to broaden awareness of our core vision and mission across denominations, secure unrestricted financial support to help strengthen our member colleges and universities, strengthen student support and development, and through our advocacy platform help ensure the visibility and viability of UNCF-member schools and other HBCUs.

Visit UNCF.org/FaithCampaign for more information.

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About UNCF 

UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. While totaling only 3% of all colleges and universities, UNCF institutions and other historically Black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 15% of bachelor’s degrees, 5% of master’s degrees, 10% of doctoral degrees and 19% of all STEM degrees earned by Black students in higher education. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 50,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized trademark, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”^® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on X (formerly Twitter) at @UNCF.