I am the only student from my high school’s graduating class of 2023 to attend a historically Black college or university (HBCU). During my college application process, there were variables to choosing my future college that weren’t present for the rest of my classmates. When I chose to attend an HBCU, I knew homecoming was an integral part of not only my undergraduate experience, but for every year after graduation as an HBCU alumna. I knew about North Carolina A&T’s famed “GHOE” or “Greatest Homecoming on Earth.” I knew that homecoming was a week of festivities, community…libations…and essentially a reunion for graduates. My first Hampton homecoming was last year, and I was taken aback by just how important the events seemed to me. I wasn’t expecting the entire campus to be filled from edge to edge with people of all ages, classes coming back for ten year reunions in matching T-shirts (very Black of us), and companies like JP Morgan handing out pens in line for the food trucks. Between the student-organized events like the step show and fashion show, and the sunny daytime tailgate with free cookout plates, it was in that week where I really began to understand why an HBCU homecoming is an event in people’s travel budgets.
What sets an HBCU homecoming apart is truly in the name: HBCU. Black people are extremely community-oriented and love to see each other win. Many alumni return to their HBCU yards to give money to students staying in their past dorm rooms, offer career connections and internships, and tour their campus to see the changes and growth over the years. People return to celebrate class reunions, a significant number of years as members in their Greek organizations, and to simply reunite with familiar faces. Of course, the alumni returning to their yards is really the true point of homecoming, but the current student experiences cannot be overlooked.
The day and night parties, step shows, student-produced fashion shows, organizational bazaar, and tailgates and cookouts help unify the student body even more. Young Black creativity and success is openly on display for the entire community to enjoy, even bringing in people from other universities, and children from local schools. People often consider HBCU homecomings like a family barbecue: people of all ages and walks of life embracing the culture of a campus, a race, and the intersections between.
I was lucky enough this year to experience my second Hampton homecoming with my dad and sister who visited from Pasadena, CA. My dad, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Fraternity, Inc., instantly felt welcomed by brothers from all the chapters who came to visit. My sister and I quickly left and returned to him on a red couch enjoying a plate and conversation with other members from all over the country, young and old. My sister, a junior in high school, and looking forward to applying to HBCUs next year, loved being surrounded by the culture of Hampton on full display. She was embraced by my friends, rapped along to songs so loudly that she lost her voice, and recorded every fraternity stroll she came across. For both of them, they celebrated reunions in their own ways: my dad with people he had always known, but never met, and my sister with an experience that she plans on recreating in her own college years.Â
Hampton’s Homecoming is aptly named “HUHC168,” 168 being the number of hours there are in a week. As every hour ticked by, new experiences and connections were formed, new viral videos were posted, and new memories were made. As alumni stood in awe at the new renovations their campus had undergone, the new majors and educational departments that have been erected, and the new campus traditions that have been formed, they still found a way to bridge past and present. At the center of every historically Black institution is the heart of its students and alumni, and their desire to keep the culture of their school alive. That is what separates HBCU homecomings from the rest. The dedication to a preservation of community, tradition, and eternal family ties is what makes every HBCU homecoming feel like home. Â