No. 6.0-Its Homecoming Yall!!!
It's that time of year where Historically Black Colleges or Universities prepare for the mass influx of locals, alumni and students who will walk the grounds of their historic campuses. The yard is decorated for the arrivals. People pull out their tailgating equipment. The fellas and ladies get their outfits together for the day parties. The step shows, old school concerts, football halftime shows, majorettes high stepping during the parade and the gospel choir releasing blessings into the atmosphere is just the tip of what one will experience during homecoming at a HBCU.
October is the month when many who hold a HBCU close to their heart return home. They return to reconnect to a place that shaped and molded their thinking. They came into adulthood at these institutions. Yes there are parties. Yes one may see a celebrity or two. Yes one may run into an old flame they used to crush on. However above all it’s a time to plant one’s feet into the historic fabric that built the foundation of higher education for the Black community.
You see, attending a HBCU didn’t involve just going to class...or not.
It was also exploring and engaging in BLACK love, BLACK art, BLACK history, BLACK poetry, BLACK plays, BLACK fashion, BLACK literature, BLACK activism, BLACK unity, BLACK spirituality, BLACK food, BLACK culture, BLACK music and BLACK museums. Above all else it is a place to be oneself. A safety net for self expression. HBCUs are melting pots of diversity within the Black community.
As an HBCU graduate, I was exposed to people who looked like me with various cultural backgrounds and experiences. I saw women with dreadlocks and nose piercings which I came to adorn myself. This was the first time I felt comfortable letting go of putting relaxers in my hair. I had the chance to look how I wanted to look without restriction. (Once I graduated and started working in the corporate world, I soon learned that I was a bit spoiled by being in an environment where being myself was accepted. I eventually had to re-learn how to be OK with my form of self expression.) I was introduced to Black music and food that I had not been aware of before. I heard different dialects and lingo that didn’t make sense to me at first but it was spoken by people who looked like me. I learned about Go-Go music and heard deep Southern accents that were hard to understand at times. Nonetheless, it was music to my ears. The life lessons I learned prepared me for what was to come later in life.
I was immersed in history. History that expanded beyond Dr. King and the civil rights movement that was taught in my limited high school curriculum. Each of us who attended an HBCU contributed to the legacy that keeps them at the forefront of Black culture. These distinguished institutions support the framework that exudes Black opulence.
I am a proud graduate of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University! It was an honor to be a part of its essence. I would do it all over again if I had the chance too. Ten times over! In my travels, I have had the pleasure of meeting fellow alumni as well as graduates of other HBCUs. There is always this unspoken camaraderie amongst us. Similar to the universal Black headnod.
So enjoy HBCU homecoming season, my people. Breath in the joy that rolls through the wave of voices that will rejoice in unison on the yard, rumbling the echoes of those who came before us.
Be safe and at peace.
