A Decade of Dedication at UNCF Paves Way for MONIQUE LENOIR
BY ZERLINE HUGHES SPRUILL
The sound of ringing telephones could be heard throughout the broadcast, a ticker tape would run across the screen nonstop showing a toll-free number to call, while listing the names of contributors who called in to pledge their support. Celebrities performed in between announcements by banks and foundations presenting larger-than- life cardboard checks. Black America’s annual telethon was UNCF’s “An Evening of Stars,” formerly known as “Lou Rawls’ Parade of Stars.” It raised money for prospective and current HBCU students – long before HBCUs were considered mainstream, trendy and competitive. Thanks to the annual broadcast, coupled with strategically placed billboards and highlights in the Black press, UNCF’s 1972 slogan became a Black and white household name: “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” During both the first and second golden age of television between the 1950s and the 1980s, telethons were broadcast for 12 to 24 hours to raise money for special causes.
HBCU TIMES SUMMER ISSUE 2026 | 4 5
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