Pastor Shirley Caesar and David Banner will be celebrated at the 2025 HBCU Honors, taking place Nov. 30 at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C.
Caesar will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, while Banner will receive the Cultural Impact Award for “his multi-faceted pursuits,” according to Billboard. Business entrepreneur Janice Bryant Howroyd will also be recognized at the event; she’ll be presented with the Visionary Founder Award.
The annual ceremony, founded by Michelle M. Bailey, puts a spotlight on “the institutions that continue to educate, empower and shape generations of trailblazers,” she said in a statement to Billboard.
The 2025 iteration will add an HBCU Honors Rising Star National Talent Search, giving students at historically Black colleges and universities a chance to compete for a performing slot at the awards ceremony. There is also a newly launched Media Futures Fellowship for students at Lincoln University of Missouri, Spelman College and more.
The 2025 HBCU Honors will air on BET Her and BET, the presenting partner of the celebration. Kym Whitley returns as host after taking on those duties at the 2024 event.
“Hosting HBCU Honors again feels like coming home,” she says in statement, according to Billboard. “This show is a joyful reminder of everything our schools represent — faith, excellence, community and legacy.”
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