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With the general election looming, racial disparities, and a divided nation, homecoming, particularly at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), is a time to come together, create community and celebrate the past, present and future. As Howard University celebrates its 100th homecoming through Oct. 20, the annual gathering not only exemplifies the institution’s cultural contributions and legacy, but emphasizes a place for African Americans to reflect, collaborate, and foster the next generation of Black leaders. 

“When you come back to an HBCU, you’re coming back home. You can let your hair down again, you can be back in that safe space. You can celebrate, you can laugh, you can cry, you can just hug each other, and that’s the entire culture,” said Jennifer Thomas, a former Miss Howard University.

Featuring fun festivities, such as games, concerts and parties, homecoming is a time for students, alumni and guests to gather in the collective celebration of school spirit, and at HBCUs, there’s the added celebration of uplifting Black excellence.  

Thomas, who graduated from Howard in 1988, emphasized the importance of HBCU homecomings as a moment to celebrate the institutions’ contributions to educating and building up historic, barrier-breaking Black thinkers and leaders.

“On the campuses of HBCUs, we were all founded with a similar goal, and that’s to educate Black minds who otherwise would not have had an opportunity for education,” Thomas, an associate professor and director of the Annenberg Honors Program at the Howard University Cathy Hughes School of Communications, told The Informer. “So it’s for us, by us, and now homecoming is a chance for us to celebrate those rich legacies, relationships and friendships and that stellar education that all HBCUs provide.”

According to a recent White House report, HBCUs produce a significant percentage of Black professionals in critical fields: 40% of engineers, 50% of teachers, 70% of doctors and dentists, and 80% of judges. 

During homecomings, those Black professionals and notable alumni return to campus, sometimes bringing along their famous friends as well – such as in the case of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee and an alumna of Howard University. Harris is visiting her alma mater with her running-mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a stop part of her HBCU homecoming tour. 

While some people worry about the crowds Harris’ appearance might garner, her visit aligns with the purpose of alumni contributions to HBCU homecomings—returning back to campus, taking a pulse on the community, and giving back. 

Howard University’s centennial celebration, themed “Yard of Fame,” celebrates the millions who have walked the campus, or the ‘Yard,’ and contributed to the university’s reputation since its founding in 1867 — having been recently recognized by as the No.1 HBCU in the nation. 

“Howard is like a big family, it’s a big community, and our home is on the Yard. We come back every fall as a community of Bison to gather, to catch up, to love one another, to encourage each other and to be reminded of the legacies that were created here,” Thomas explained. “Howard has such a rich legacy, and I can see the legacy of those who came before me, and now I can say I am part of that.”

History of Howard’s Homecoming, Contributions to the Culture

Homecoming has been a staple celebration for historically Black colleges and universities nationwide since the 1920s, though the exact date of the first HBCU homecoming is unknown.

In 1924, according to The Dig, Howard University alumni derived the homecoming concept from Ivy League colleges and introduced a new flavorful, “entirely unique” tradition that would go on to shape the culture of Black institutions for years to come. 

What originally started out as a spirited football game has evolved into a multiday celebration of culture, community and academic achievement, plugged by the anticipation of step shows, concerts, tailgates, parades, and other beloved events. 

Deborah Peaks Coleman described her freshman year homecoming in 1974 in eight words: “I thought I died and went to heaven.” 

By the early 1970s, the weeklong series of spirited events was in motion, featuring memorable performances and packed with a theme of camaraderie that helped shape Coleman’s college experience and beyond.  

Along with the annual parade and football game, which is set for Oct. 19 against Tennessee State University, favorable homecoming traditions at Howard include the Royal Court Coronation, Greek Step Show, Student Fashion Show, Bison Madness pep rally, and the highly anticipated Yardfest, which has seen the likes of Tina Turner, Kanye West, Jay-Z and other high-profile attendees in the past. 

Coleman commends the cultural representation infused throughout historically Black institutions and their homecoming festivities, amplifying decades of African American history in an intergenerational web of belonging and connectedness. 

“It’s a cultural connection. We have our Black culture, we have culture internationally, [throughout] the diaspora. We all connect on our heritage, our traditions, and that makes a difference when you feel like you’re in a safe space and the home team is rooting for you, supporting you,” Coleman told The Informer. “One thing that we say about homecoming or the reason that we love HBCU life so much, [it’s] because it’s like a major affinity group for us.”

For Coleman, since graduation, returning to Howard for homecoming has been a priority as she continues to connect with old friends, give back to the community and create new memories.

“I am who I am because I went to Howard University, and going back each year reaffirms the goodness it has brought to my life,” said Coleman, a 1978 graduate. “My village family is primarily composed of my classmates from Howard, and that’s a powerful thing to have.” 

Alumni Community Equity Engagement, ‘Truth and Service‘

For 100 years, Howard’s homecoming has allowed for students, alumni, and African American leaders to connect, build, create in the spirit of Howard’s motto “truth and service.”  

Coleman and other alumni, including Roger Glass, have worked to keep their alma mater’s motto as a guiding theme during homecoming celebrations. They help organize the annual “Back Together Again Party,” an event hosted by a coalition of classes from the 70s and 80s that raise money for current Howard students in financial need. 

“The party is an opportunity to have a good time, but we know that it’s always important to party with a purpose. We supported the Bridging the Gap [fund] and other student fundraisers at Howard, so it was always congruent with having a good time, but as different needs occur, we’re open to it,” Coleman said. “We see [the Back Together Again Party] as an opportunity to share with [Howard] leaders across the nation. That’s who we are as alumni: global leadership for the world.”

Glass, a 1975 graduate of Howard’s School of Communications, found inspiration in the influx of emerging Black leaders and changemakers touted as the institution’s alumni. 

Coupled with the notable graduates – including Thurgood Marshall, Chadwick Boseman, Debbie Allen, and Democratic nominee, Vice President Harris – the campus’ footprint in social justice has garnered a pivotal place in history.  

The New York native considers the campus protest of March 1968 as a pivotal factor in his decision to attend the university, a time when about 1,000 Howard students seized the Administration building in a four-day demand to effect administrative and academic change. He told The Informer the spirit of “Black power, Black nationalism, Black Movement” was just as instrumental throughout his studies at Howard as it is in his postgraduate affairs. 

“The kind of fervor energy around Blackness during that period was probably one of the most memorable things, the most long lasting things as far as the legacy at Howard,” Glass told The Informer. “I think it gave all of us a real commitment, a solidarity with each other to understand that we were in this struggle together, and that we needed to uplift all of us. It gave me a desire to continue doing things in my life that would impact, in particular, the Black community and Black kids, which has kind of been my career in many respects.”

In addition to giving back, Glass said his favorite part of homecoming is “seeing the diversity of classes” and the communal impact of his alma mater, reflected through the crowded campus events and broader influence on the DMV region and nation. 

“Being in the city and being in the nation’s capital is really one of the things that has set Howard apart,” Glass told The Informer. “[Alumni] can take a lot of credit, as we should, for what Howard has become since 1867, but I think being located in a city that has so many Black folks, many of them Howard graduates, who are in prestigious positions and have great achievements….that’s how you know, particularly in Washington, D.C, it has had such a mark.”

With the centennial celebration underway, Howard University’s mark on the world is made evident through the stories of alumni who embody the Bison spirit years after graduation. 

As generations of trailblazers and culture shapers gather on the Yard this week, the past and future of the top HBCU remains rooted in community, empowerment and a commitment to Black excellence. 

“I would not be where I am today as an award-winning journalist, an award-winning professor, a scholar, a caring person had it not been for my Howard University education,” said Thomas. “We knew that when we walked through those gates, whether or not we wanted to, we were making an impact on future generations, and we were there to represent excellence… and to create seats at tables… and to be in the room and to make a difference. And that’s still what we’re doing today: leadership and truth and service.”