Charlie Wilson headlines mayor's masked ball fundraiser

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Grammy-nominated vocalist Charlie Wilson will headline the Mayor’s Masked Ball on March 8.

Uncle Charlie is lending his voice to a fundraiser for North Carolina’s independent Black colleges.

Grammy-nominated R&B singer Charlie Wilson will headline the 11th annual UNCF Charlotte Mayor’s Masked Ball on March 8 at the Charlotte Convention Center. The gala starts at 5:30 p.m. and nearly 1,500 people are expected to attend. Longtime educator and community leader Carlenia Ivory-Cantey will be presented the UNCF Community Impact award. Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison will be presented the UNCF Masked award while Wilson will get the UNCF Masked Lifetime Achievement award. 

More than $3.5 million was awarded last year in scholarships and programs for UNCF’s five historically Black colleges and universities, including Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, Livingstone College (Salisbury), Bennett College (Greensboro), Saint Augustine’s University and Shaw University (Raleigh).   

“We are thrilled to gather the Charlotte community for this highly anticipated annual fundraising event,” Tiffany Jones-Boyd, area development director for UNCF’s North Carolina area office said in a statement. “Each contribution made directly empowers our students to achieve their dreams and unlock their potential.” 

In addition to Wilson’s performance, the gala will include a student testimonial from Charlotte native and UNCF Gantt-McColl Scholar Tori Jarrett, a sophomore at Spelman College in Atlanta. Last year, nearly $1.5 million in contributions went to Charlotte area students to matriculate through college. 

To donate, go to www.UNCF.org/Charlotte.

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