#YouTubeBlack To Host First U.S. Fanfest At Howard University With Tre Melvin, Teala Dunn

#YouTubeBlack, a company initiative that seeks to support and amplify the voices of black creators, is partnering with Howard University to fete the historically black college’s 150th anniversary at an annual homecoming event.

YouTube will host its first-ever stateside FanFest event at Howard in Washington, D.C. next Tuesday, featuring creators in the music, dance, fashion, beauty, comedy, and spoken word spaces — who count a combined 16 million subscribers. YouTube launched its FanFest events — where a fleet of creators gather for meet-and-greets and live performances — four years ago, and has hosted past events in Hong Kong, Manila, Mumbai, Jeddah, and more.

The #YouTubeBlack FanFest will feature 12 illustrious creators, including: comedian Alonzo Lerone, LGBT vlogger Amber’s Closet, musician Dainá: five-guy comedy ensemble Dormtainment, improv sketch artist Miles Jai

, skits and parody channel RandomStructureTV, spoken word poet Spoken Reasons, vlogger Summerella, lifestyle creator Teala Dunn, comedian Tré Melvin, sketch artist TPindell, and the R&B/Soul duo VanJess.

“Homecoming is a very special time when our students, alumni, and broader community come together to celebrate Howard excellence,” said the university’s president, Wayne A.I. Frederick, in a statement. Tickets information is available here, and the event will also be streamed from FanFest’s YouTube channel.

#YouTubeBlack was formed at a creator summit last year, and has since hosted myriad events at YouTube Spaces across the globe to support creators of color.