UNCF on the Vineyard

UNCF held its 2nd Annual HarborView Chat on Thursday, August 14, 2025 at Atria in Edgartown. This year’s distinguished panel was moderated by Kim Godwin, Career Journalist and Former President of ABC News and featured Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President & CEO of Benedict College, Depelsha McGruder, Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer of The Ford Foundation and Dr. Michael L. Lomax, President & CEO of UNCF. Dr. George French, President of Clark Atlanta University, provided special remarks.

The topic for the 2nd Annual UNCF HarborView Chat was The Wealth-Building Power of HBCUs. The panelists explored the pivotal role of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as engines of socioeconomic mobility and institutional wealth building. Beyond providing a transformative education, HBCUs are powerful catalysts for intergenerational advancement and regional economic vitality. They anchor communities, foster innovation and enable long-term equity by building and sustaining wealth through strategic investments in institutional capacity, talented faculty and student opportunity. This holistic model of wealth creation centers on collective progress and creates a “butterfly effect” as successful alumni reinvest in their communities, supporting Blackowned businesses and contributing to overall economic vitality of our country.

Please take a moment to peruse through the photos from our 2 nd Annual UNCF HarborView Chat. Special Thank you to our UNCF New England Leadership Council CoChair, Keon Holmes, and members Ken Armstead, Reverend Willie Bodrick, Sean Daughtry, April English and Tony Richards for being with us. The momentum is still high, however our work is not done. It is imperative, now more than ever, that we continue to advocate for the importance of our nation’s HBCUs and bring awareness to their power of being engines of wealth-building.