College Scholarships Aided by Black History Month Fashion Show

Styling and profiling were Stanley Coleman Jr. (kneeling wearing an orange hat) and high school students at the 3rd Annual Black History Month College Scholarship Drive Runway Gala on Feb. 21, 2020 at The Promontory in Hyde Park. Photo credit: Wendell Hutson
Styling and profiling were Stanley Coleman Jr. (kneeling wearing an orange hat) and high school students at the 3rd Annual Black History Month College Scholarship Drive Runway Gala on Feb. 21, 2020 at The Promontory in Hyde Park. Photo credit: Wendell Hutson

College Scholarships Aided by Black History Month Fashion Show

BY WENDELL HUTSON, Contributing Writer

The 3rd Annual Black History Month College Scholarship Drive Runway Gala helped fund three scholarships this year, while also educating youth about the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Feb. 21 event was held at The Promontory in Hyde Park whose co-emcee was ABC7 News Reporter Samantha Chatman (whose famous father is DJ Sam Chatman) and music was by WGCI disc jockey Mile High.

Proceeds from the $20 general admission went towards college scholarships for students at various Chicago high schools including Hyde Park Career Academy and Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park; King College Prep in Bronzeville; and South Shore International College Prep in South Shore.

Tory Morgan, a senior at South Shore College Prep, received a full scholarship for tuition and room and board to attend a summer law school program at the University of California Los Angeles better known as UCLA.

“I plan to become a criminal defense attorney because too many black men are going to prison for crimes they did not commit,” said Morgan. “But because they cannot afford a private attorney, their legal options were usually limited.”

While students can use their scholarships to attend any college or university, Stanley Coleman, founder of SCJR Productions LLC and event sponsor, said students are encouraged to attend historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Coleman said HBCUs have done a lot for “the black community by producing some of the best and brightest students America has to offer. He added he wants to do his part “by recruiting new future leaders to HBCUs.”

Kayla Jordan, a junior at King College Prep, received a $2,500 HBCU Business Leadership Award from the nonprofit Chicago Football Classic. This scholarship came on the heels of Jordan performing with her school band at the Feb. 16 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago.

“I just want to thank everyone from my mom to my great-aunt, who are here with me today, for helping me get to this point,” said Jordan.

The Black McDonalds Operators Association of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana sponsored a $350 scholarship for Malaysia Brown, a 17-year-old junior at Kenwood, who said she wants to study film and TV at Spelman or Clark College, two HBCUs in Atlanta.

“Black people coming together is beautiful and that’s what went on here today,” said Brown, an aspiring model who was among the 26 student models. “I love that there are positive activities like this fashion show for young people to participate in and not have to hang out on the streets.”

Hyde Park High School student Halimacou Marega said this was her first time modeling and said she enjoyed it.

“It was a new experience for me but a good one because I got to do something I never did before and that’s walk down a runway,” said Marega.

Fellow Hyde Park High School student Zariah Reid, 16, said it was fun to model clothes from actress Gabrielle Union.

“I like Gabrielle. She makes cool movies and she seems like a cool person, so to model clothes designed by her was an awesome experience,” said Reid, a Hyde Park resident.

SCJR Productions LLC produces five fashion shows a year as a fundraiser with the next one in April. Coleman said arts programs are generally eliminated by Chicago Public Schools due to budget cuts and that limits opportunities for students.

He added that students interested in scholarships and modeling in fashion shows should apply online at scjrproductions.org.

“In the past two and half years, I raised about $200,000 for 45 college scholarships,” contends Coleman, a Kenwood Academy and Columbia College Chicago alumnus and Hyde Park resident. “Giving students an activity they can feel good about is one reason why I like having these fashion shows, and raising money to help students go to college is the other reason I love what I do.”

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