The Annual Holiday Special will air online at ESSENCE on Black Friday, November 24th at 8 p.m. ET
Columbia, SC, November 20, 2023 – ESSENCE will host A Journey of Joy on Black Friday, November 24, 2023. The Holiday Special, presented by Target, will air online at Essence.com at 8 p.m. ET. During the program, Warner Bros. Pictures will honor Jamila S. Lyn as Outstanding Educator of the Year. Lyn, who serves as the Director of Specialized Programming, was recognized for her community activism and commitment to educating HBCU students.
“I congratulate Ms. Lyn on this well-deserved national recognition,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, CEO and President of Benedict College. “She has been an advocate for educational equity and for our scholars for many years. She is to be commended for her exemplary efforts, which often extend far beyond the normal workday. Her career in higher education exemplifies nothing less than the BEST of BC!”
Known as a tenacious student retention champion, Lyn works closely with the Benedict College Student Success Center. She is an expert in bridging people, technology, and resources to support students to and through degree completion.
As the Outstanding Educator of the Year, Warner Bros. will gift Lyn and her students a private screening of The Color Purple; the new film opens to the public on Christmas Day.
The all-star lineup for the Holiday Special will feature fan-favorite Black music artists Tyrese, Tamar Braxton, Kim Burrell, and others. Also included in the special is T.I. and Tiny’s young daughter Heiress, who’ll lead a performance by the Atlanta Children’s Choir.
The ESSENCE Holiday Special highlights the importance of economic empowerment and community solidarity by encouraging its 2+ million viewers to shop Black during the holidays. The Holiday Special will continue to air throughout the holidays after the November 24th debut.
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About Benedict College (www.benedict.edu)
Founded in 1870 by a woman, Bathsheba A. Benedict, Benedict College is a private co-educational liberal arts institution offering 26 competitive baccalaureate degree programs and two master’s degree programs. The Midlands HBCU welcomes students from all 46 counties in South Carolina, 30 states across America, and 26 countries around the world. The College also has a diverse faculty deeply engaged in teaching, research, and service.
Benedict College has been highly regarded and exceptionally ranked for its programs by several academic and traditional publications. Benedict College received the 2019 ACE/ Fidelity Investments Awards for Institutional Transformation and was named the HBCU of the Year by HBCU Digest. Benedict College was listed among the top half of ranked HBCUs in the 2022 edition of Best Colleges by US News and World Report.
Benedict College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Five of the College’s degree programs hold national accreditation: Social Work Program, Environmental Health Science Program, Environmental Engineering, Studio Art, and the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
