DON’T EAT. DON’T SLEEP!!!! IT’S HOMECOMING WEEK!!!!
You have to be living under a rock if you have never seen the iconic Spike Lee joint “School Daze”- a film that gloriously details the highs and lows of homecoming week at a Black university. The movie, which starred most of the principle actors from “A Different World” - is an entire mood! Homecoming is a time for friends and family to gather at their respective alma maters to socialize and attend a variety of festivities. The month of October marks the time of year when various colleges and universities exhibit a wonderful tradition of week long held programming. Usually, there are dorm step shows, vendors, concerts, panels, games, rap battles on the yard and DUH the FOOTBALL GAME!
I had the pleasure of attending a notable, large Historically Black College (HBCU) in Florida. An HBCU is a college or university that was originally founded to educate students of African-American descent. Essentially, an HBCU is “any Historically Black College or University that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary [of Education] to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation.”(source: Ed.Gov)
Although homecoming is intended to be a fun and amazing experience- it can bring about a lot of anxiety’s and insecurities for some. As we are all aging- along with the rest of the world, we start to mentally reevaluate past and current life choices since and during undergrad. While packing, you start to worry if you are going to run into an old flame, see that roommate from hell, pass by an old professor who used to piss you off and other random shit. Personally, I avoided my homecoming for almost 8 years before attending in 2017. The apology tour for crap that happened as far back as 2007 triggered me like a mofo and don’t get me started on 2018! HAHA!
My tribe and I are now in our early thirties, and are at that stage in our lives where naturally, we begin to reprocess ourselves. Some of us are married, have kids and "good" jobs; while there are also those of us who STILL don't have husbands, no kids or "real" jobs. Does that mean that we are failures in life? An entire 10 years fly by and you did NOT "achieve" what everyone else has. We as a people need to accept that not everyone has the same life goal and/or paths. A slew of friends having children and toting husbands may not be what I want or anyone else for that matter. Just being a whole (mentally at peace) person with solid moral standards and values was always good enough for me.
I made the promise to myself, that 2019 Homecoming was going to be spent reconnecting with old friends and HELL - even old flames (What happens in Tally, stays in Tally INSIDER). Simply put, enjoy the damn weekend without stressing myself and unravelling my nerves!! If you have never attended an HBCU homecoming- you are missing out! The BEST time of my life was attending an HBCU for my education. Being able to navigate back to that institution of higher learning for a few days, to see everyone flourish was EVERYTHING! It is a beautiful sight to see a plethora of Black folk, who have beat the odds in life -WINNING. Below I will link the 2020 list of the “Best Historically Black Colleges”. I highly encourage and recommend those who are seeking their degrees to attend an HBCU. You will NOT be disappointed. Be prepared to gain a lifetime of family and friends!
2020 BEST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITY'S
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