Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
It’s homecoming season in African America—that joyous time of year when alumni of our beloved historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) return to the yards from whence we came to gather and reminisce with the people we know (and don’t know) in celebration of good times. Homecoming is really a remarkable event, people from near and far all descend to literally put eyes on people and hug others while wishing one another well in hopes of seeing those same people in a year. While I doubt that most people decide upon a particular HBCU because of homecoming season, that first visit to the yard during a campus’ most jubilant time of year can definitely make the decision easier, even years in advance.
(For the record, I’m fully aware that predominantly white institutions have homecomings that Black alumni attend. I cannot be convinced that it’s a similar experience. Thank you for coming to my PanamaTalk.)
Such brings us to this past weekend. My wife is a proud alumna of Howard University. We live in Washington, D.C.— where Howard is located — so every homecoming weekend she is typically off to engage in the various wholesome shenanigans that occur during homecomings across the HBCU spectrum. Since the vast majority of that activity is at night, that usually doesn’t leave a ton of space for bringing kids along to witness the splendor of HBCU life. And anybody who has ever tried to bring kids along to a tailgate experience in the spirit of exposure can tell you what a bad idea that is.
Lifestyle
Well, in 2023, Howard had the grand idea to introduce a FamilyFest to the homecoming experience. (Note: YardFest is Howard’s most famous homecoming activity; it is a concert that usually features some of the most popular acts in Black music of the year.) FamilyFest is an on-campus event that, as you might assume, occurs earlier in the day and is built for the younger kids to enjoy while parents reminisce with one another before the larger crowds of younger people doing things that younger people do in larger crowds get there.
This year, my wife decided that we would bring our kids to FamilyFest so they could see the campus and we could do that cute touristy thing and see the buildings and spaces that meant so much to her. It was also cool for me because I had no idea which dorm she stayed in or what her days looked like in college. It’s fun to go down memory lane. It was also cool for our kids to get to experience that part of her life, too. One of those kids took such a liking to it that I’m now convinced he is going to Howard University. He is currently eight years old.
I’ve written about my children plenty, and one of my kids has the kind of personality that takes to things quickly and passionately. He discovered Michael Jackson and never let go. Same with soccer and WWE. He seems to have had a similar experience with Howard. From the second we hit the campus, he had all of the questions and wanted to see any and everything and all of it.
He wanted to go into buildings — any buildings. He wanted to walk around the yard. He saw the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts building and needed to get in there. The building was closed but I’m going to have to take him back up there just so he can scratch that itch; he loves “Black Panther,” so when he saw that name and building, well, he was a goner. Not for nothing, if I had to bet on which of my kids would end up at Howard University before going this past weekend, he would be that one; his personality seems primed for the school. I can’t quite explain what that means but what’s understood doesn’t need to be explained, ya know?
My other kids enjoyed the experience but it didn’t quite hit the same. My 15-year-old high school sophomore daughter has Spelman College (understandably) on the brain so while I’m sure she got a kick out of seeing a college homecoming, it wasn’t the one that matters most. My nine-year-old thought it was cool but I can’t say one way or the other whether it was a memorable experience or not. And we’ll see about the four-year-old; he was too busy adopting aunties to care where he was.
As a Morehouse Man, I look forward to my kids being able to see my institution and gauge for themselves how the atmosphere makes them feel and if it’s a place where they see themselves. You never know when, or even if, that will happen. For my eight-year-old, I think that happened already. Even though Howard University isn’t Morehouse College, I can see him on that campus becoming the version of himself that he wants to be.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go dig through my couch for loose change. According to Howard, it costs nearly $60,000 a year to attend so I need to start saving now.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
