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IT’S MORE THAN A GAME!
LOS ANGELES PLAYS HOST TO THE FARMERS
INSURANCE GROUP®
ANGEL CITY CLASSIC SHOWCASING HBCU
POWERHOUSES
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M vs. NORTH CAROLINA A&T
 Los
Angeles, CA
– (June 19, 2007) – For one weekend this
fall, Los Angeles will be able to
witness two of the nation’s most
prestigious Historically Black Colleges
and Universities (HBCUs) showcasing
their talents on and off the field. On
September, 8, 2007, the North
Carolina A&T State Aggies and the
Prairie View A&M University Panthers
will battle at the Los Angeles Memorial
Coliseum for bragging rights to the
Farmers Insurance Group Angel City
Classic. This family-oriented event
weekend includes action-packed football
excitement, Greek step shows (such as
those showcased in the hit movie
Stomp The Yard), and the much
anticipated Battle of the Bands.
The
primary focus of the Classic is to raise
awareness of the significant
contributions that HBCUs have had on
American culture. In fact, luminaries
such as Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah
Winfrey, Spike Lee and Thurgood
Marshall all graduated from these types
of institutions. Says John Fleming, CEO
of Black Educational Events, LLC and the
Angel City Classic Team, “We are so
proud to bring this event to Los Angeles
with the help of our title sponsor,
Farmer’s Insurance Group. The youth
here need to see that these schools are
an affordable and viable option for
pursuing higher education as they do not
just accept applications; rather they
embrace applicants and have done so for
over a century. It is our intention to
bring this feeling to the West and touch
the lives of young people who have never
been witness to the incredible energy of
a Classic event.”
“Farmers is excited and honored to
continue its commitment to education by
presenting these two outstanding schools
to the west coast audience,” says Faye
W. McClure, Farmers Vice President –
Strategic Marketing. “Throughout one
great weekend in September, we hope that
the L.A. market, parents and students
see the rich educational opportunities
that are provided by these two HBCUs,
and many others like them around the
country. We strongly believe and support
this country’s most valuable resource –
our children.”
Bernard C. Parks, Los Angeles City
Councilmember, 8th District,
says the event will be a special treat
for the city of Los Angeles. “The Angel
City Classic celebrates the HBCU
experience via a weekend of cultural
display and healthy competition,” says
Parks. And Mark Ridley-Thomas,
California State Senator says the
Angel City Classic Events serve as grass
roots role models for children. “Our
community cannot rely solely on those in
the public eye, but must also have
exemplary young men and women such as
those participating in the Angel City
Classic,” says Ridley-Thomas. “I am
proud this event is coming to the famed
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to
showcase these principles to the Los
Angeles community.”
The Farmers Angel
City Classic kicks off on September 7th
with the Angel City Classic Scholarship
Gala at 8:00 p.m. featuring keynote
speaker Admiral David L. Brewer III,
Superintendent of Los Angeles Unified
School District. Superintendent
Brewer will highlight the newest plans
for the Los Angeles public school system
designed to help enhance the education
of the city’s youth. Farmers will also
formerly announce the five scholarship
recipients of its new Emerging Scholars
Program (www.uncf.org/scholarships).
 Saturday’s
full-day festivities include a
career/college expo and vendor area
beginning at 9:00 a.m., a youth football
game and high school band competition
and a Greek Step Show exhibition.
Kick-off for the football game between
North Carolina A&T and Prairie View A&M
is at 2:30 p.m. The halftime “Battle of
the Bands” will feature a competitive
drumline, band and cheerleading
competition. Post-game activities will
feature special guest appearances and
entertainment to
be
announced at a later date.
The
entire weekend will be captured by
Tri Destined Studios of whom
Presidents of the Film and Television
divisions created Stomp The Yard
and produced American Idol
respectively. “Our studios aim to film
not only the game, but most importantly
the essence of the Farmers Insurance
Group Angel City Classic in an effort to
capture the same type of excitement
displayed in our other works. We might
just film you!” said ND Brown, CEO of
Tri Destined Studios.
For
more information, to purchase tickets or
to participate as a sponsor or a vendor,
call the Angel City Classic office at
323-293-0940 or visit
www.angelcityclassic.com.
About
Farmers Insurance Group:
Farmers Insurance Group of Companies is
the nation’s fourth-largest personal
lines Property & Casualty Insurance
Group providing Homeowners, Auto,
Business, Life Insurance and financial
services to more than 10 million
households through 17,000 exclusive and
independent agents and district
managers.
In
support of community outreach, Farmers
has created eight Web-based communities
including The American Promise devoted
to helping teachers, professors and
educators bring democracy to life in
their classrooms, Freedom’s Song, a
documentary that celebrates a century of
African-American history and Just for
Teachers, a site devoted to teachers who
work tirelessly to develop this
country’s greatest resource—our
children.
About
the Schools
North
Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State University
is a public, land-grant, high research
activity university committed to
fulfilling its fundamental purposes
through exemplary undergraduate and
graduate instruction, scholarly and
creative research, and effective public
service. The university offers degree
programs at the baccalaureate, master’s
and doctoral levels with emphasis on
agriculture, engineering, science,
technology, literature and other
academic areas. As one of North
Carolina’s three engineering colleges,
the university offers Ph.D. programs in
engineering.
North
Carolina A&T
aspires to be the premier
interdisciplinary-centered university in
America that builds on its comparative
advantages in engineering, technology,
and business; a strong civil rights
legacy; and status as an 1890 land-grant
institution.
Prairie View A&M University,
the first state supported College in
Texas for African Americans, was
established during the Reconstruction
Period after the Civil War. The
University had its beginnings in the
Texas Constitution of 1876, which, in
separate articles, established an
“Agricultural and Mechanical College”
and pledged that “Separate schools shall
be provided for the white and colored
children, and impartial provisions shall
be made for both.”
With
an established reputation for producing
engineers, nurses and educators,
PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees
in 39 academic majors, 31 master’s
degrees and four doctoral degree
programs through nine colleges and
schools. A member of the Texas A&M
University System, the University is
dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant
mission of achieving excellence in
teaching, research and service.
About
Black Educational Events LLC
The
primary mission of Black Educational
Events, LLC is to produce Classic Events
on the West Coast that showcase
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs). These events
combine the entertainment of bands,
dance teams and cheering squads with the
competition and pride associated with a
HCBU football game. Because youth in
western geographies are thousands of
miles away from most HCBUs, these
classic events also serve a higher
purpose: To increase awareness,
particularly among youth, of the
educational and cultural opportunities
offered by HCBUs.
Through last year’s Silver Dollar
Classic and this year’s Angel City
Classic, Black Educational Events, LLC
continues to partner with southern
California school districts and other
youth-focused organizations to inspire
young people to stay in high school,
graduate and continue their educations.
This mission and purpose is of utmost
importance because of the startling
statistics associated with minorities
and education: the African
American high school dropout rate
exceeds 50 percent. B.E.E believes that
by increasing awareness about the
opportunities provided by HBCUs, we can
help change the course of this crisis.
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