TORONTO (CelebrityAccess) — Universal Music Canada’s B.L.A.C.K. (Businesses Levelling Access to Change and Knowledge) Label Coalition announced it is partnering with the Pinball Clemons Foundation to launch a multi-year scholarship program for black students.
The B.L.A.C.K. Label Scholarship program will support Black high school student leaders who have demonstrated volunteerism and involvement in their communities.
Through this scholarship, UMC will provide five scholarships of up to $10,000 each that will go to the first year of a black student’s post-secondary education.
To be eligible, students must be enrolled in the Pinball Clemons Foundation Margins to Mainstream Bursary Program, reside in Canada, identify as Black, achieved a minimum GPA of 2.5 in high school, and have demonstrated community involvement through various means such as volunteer experience.
All five scholarship recipients for 2020 have already been selected, UMC said.
The scholarship program launched with a $50,000 grant that will be renewed annually for at least the next four years, UMC said.
“On behalf of all Universal Music Canada employees and specifically those on our B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition, we are honored to be partnering on a new scholarship program with the Pinball Clemons Foundation,” said Jeffrey Remedios, Chairman and CEO of Universal Music Canada. “While the B.L.A.C.K. Label Scholarship is not specifically tied to the music industry, this announcement today further reflects our company’s commitment to bring about impactful, meaningful change. I hope that some of these recipients may choose to pursue a career in the music industry, resulting in empowered Black voices and leaders of the future.”
“In the midst of a social uprising and the complexities of a global pandemic, the Black employees at UMC rallied together to form a coalition of people who desperately saw the need to act immediately,” added Kardinal Offishall, Founder and Co-Chair of the B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition. “We found it imperative to combat the systemic inequalities that existed around us, in all parts of our lives – professional, social and personal. We are extremely happy to have worked swiftly and strategically with the Pinball Clemons Foundation, to create a scholarship supporting underserved youth in our communities.”
The B.L.A.C.K. Label Coalition (BLC) was formed by a group of UMC employees and interns following the industry pause in June in the wake of the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.
