care professionals, military leaders, and changemakers.
Alabama A&M. Jackson State. Tuskegee. South Carolina State. Different institutions. Different colors. Different traditions. One extraordinary story of Black excellence. MORE THAN A FOOTBALL GAME HBCU Homecoming has never been just about football.
without meaningful opportunities to connect.
Tuskegee reminds us of something essential: HBCUs are not simply part of Black history.
Institutions should intentionally build mentoring sessions, career conversations, classroom visits, networking receptions, entrepreneurship forums, internship opportunities, and leadership roundtables into Homecoming. Imagine a freshman meeting an alumna who once sat in the same classroom but now leads a major corporation. Imagine an engineering student meeting an alumnus who can offer an internship. Imagine a student entrepreneur meeting the person who becomes a mentor, investor, or business partner. Young people need advice, but sometimes they need something even more powerful.
They are still writing it.
SC STATE: THE LIVEST HOMECOMING IN AMERICA Then there is Orangeburg, South Carolina. At South Carolina State University, Bulldogs proudly call it “The Livest Homecoming in America.” When the Bulldogs come home, garnet and blue take over Orangeburg. From the excitement surrounding Oliver C. Dawson Stadium to the unmistakable sound of the Marching 101, SC State Homecoming celebrates generations of Bulldog excellence. Alumni gatherings, Greek life, reunions, tailgates, vendors, concerts, football, and fellowship transform the campus and surrounding community. The music may be loud. The stadium may be packed. The tailgates may be legendary.
It is family.
Grandparents bring grandchildren. Parents show their children where they lived. Former classmates introduce spouses and families. Alumni walk familiar pathways remembering who they were before careers, children, and life's responsibilities carried them in different directions.
But Homecoming also presents HBCUs with an extraordinary opportunity.
They need evidence of what is possible.
Think about who returns to campus. CEOs. Physicians. Engineers. Attorneys. Entrepreneurs. Educators. Technology executives. Government officials. Researchers. Corporate leaders. Philanthropists. Now think about who is sitting in our classrooms. The next generation.
TURN CELEBRATION INTO INVESTMENT
Homecoming should also become one of the greatest philanthropic opportunities on the HBCU calendar. The message should be simple: Come home. Celebrate. Reconnect. Invest.
But the greatest power is the people.
Those two groups should never occupy the same campus during Homecoming
Every alumnus cannot give $10,000, but almost everyone can participate.
FAMU. NC A&T. Howard. Southern.
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