Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Homecoming season is nearing its peak with festivities planned at 13 HBCUs on Saturday, among them Southern, Tennessee State and Virginia State. The following weekend is the calendar’s busiest, featuring 15 celebrations, with a lineup that includes Clark Atlanta, Fayetteville State and (you know) my Howard University.
Nothing compares to these sumptuous feasts of Black culture.
Anticipation rises annually for students and alums who can’t wait for the fun to begin. They arrange meet-ups and plot their strategy to attend step shows, forums, fashion shows, parades, day parties, receptions, night parties, tailgates, brunches and worship services. The football game is an optional centerpiece, with the band, dancers and cheerleaders as complementary attractions.
These homecomings are akin to family reunions, a chance to momentarily forget your troubles and simply rejoice that the group exists. We mourn loved ones who passed since the last get-together and revel with everyone who made it through another year.
But life’s hard truths are never far off, capable of interrupting the merriment at any time. They can snap us back to reality in a flash — sometimes from a muzzle.
Gunfire at Morgan State last week led to the cancellation or postponement of remaining homecoming events, including the football game. Five people were shot and wounded, left with non-life-threatening injuries, as classes were canceled for the rest of the week. The incident marked the third consecutive year that a shooting occurred during homecoming week.
Roughly 35 miles away, Bowie State was also set to host its homecoming game on Oct. 7. The school showed support for its in-state sister school by offering free tickets to Morgan State students. The game was a 44-16 thumping from Virginia State and…
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