Homecoming HBCU Edition

Source: @Texasouthern Instagram

It’s that time of year again for undergrads and alumni all over the state. Homecoming season is an unforgettable time and experience, especially at an HBCU!

Texas Southern University held its 95th homecoming, celebrating years of hard work, excellence, and achievement on the yard right in the middle of Third Ward.

There were several events that were held during the week to kick start the fun, such as Taste of the Culture, the Retro Fusion Fashion Show, the Homecoming Concert, the Mr. and Miss TSU Coronation, Hump Day on the Yard, Aux Cord Wars, 713 Yard Fest, and the Homecoming Step Show.

The biggest event was the football game against Lincoln University (CA), which TSU won 37-2, and the tailgate.

The tailgate experience at an HBCU is incredible, bringing together a bunch of Black people with positive vibes and energy. It's a big family cookout with cousins, aunts, and uncles you never knew you had.

This year's tailgate on the yard was unexpectedly cold, but that did not stop everyone from showing up and showing out in their best TSU gear from head to toe. There were tents, RVs, barbecue on the pit, music, and more.

The way homecoming season brings new and past generations together is a sight to see. In true HBCU fashion, everyone loves to go big, and the tailgate sets the tone for the entire experience because it is the last event until next year.

Many may argue and say your first homecoming will never top your others down the line, but truly, homecoming is what you make it. Alumni tend to party the hardest, as they should. They graduated from a university that breeds black excellence and leaders.

The community of Third Ward sits in the heart of Houston, Texas, with a rich history and value.

Third Ward was given the title "cradle of the city’s civil rights movement" because black college students sat down at segregated lunch counters to first protest discriminatory policies in 1960. Many social activists grew up in the Third Ward community.

When the university opened its doors in September 1947, it had 2,300 students, two schools, one division, and one college - the Law School, the Pharmacy School, the Vocational Division, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Today, Texas Southern University offers a large amount of different programs, including bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, in the following academic colleges and schools: the College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences; the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences; the College of Science and Technology; the College of Education; the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs; the School of Communication; the Thurgood Marshall School of Law; the Jesse H. Jones School of Business; the Thomas Freeman Honors College; the College of Continuing Education; and the Graduate School.

Many think that attending a PWI or Ivy League university carries weight but ask any HBCU student and they will tell you differently. There’s nothing like being around your own people who understand, care, and push you to succeed.