Very Smart Brothas
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HBCU Classics, Ranked
Throughout my life, I have kept a running, unwritten list of things black people know about that white people have no clue even exists. Ask your favorite Caucasian if Cita was the finest cartoon character ever, and they will give you the strangest look. Seventy-nine percent of wypipo have no idea what it is to…
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Biddle, Brayboy and Bojangles: We Love Thee, Smith
There are but two yearly events that matter to Johnson C. Smith University alumni: homecoming and the CIAA weekend. We know, the “real world” ain’t all black, but it DAMN sure feels good to be fully immersed in peak onyx for a weekend (that’s blackness, not the strip club). So as we all hydrate, stretch…
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Spelman College: ‘We’ll Ever Faithful Be’
At the age of 3, I’m not sure if I knew about college or Georgia, but I knew that my dad had returned from his business trip “down South” with a new shirt for me with S-P-E-L-M-A-N on the front, and I definitely knew how to throw my hands up to the Los Angeles sun…
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Why I Hate Howard University’s Homecoming Weekend With Every Fiber of My Being, Explained
Editor’s note: This was originally published to The Root on Oct. 1, 2015. I think so. No. I didn’t go to Howard and I don’t live in Washington, D.C., so I don’t have the Howard homecoming dates tattooed on my chest. Well, I do have multiple friends and followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And…
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The Accidental Bulldog at Bowie State University
I ended up at the great Bowie State University by accident. I was headed to Morgan State University on a full scholarship but received a letter over that summer informing me that, because of budgeting issues, they would not be able to honor my scholarship. As you can imagine, those were fighting words! But I…
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Watch: VSB and The Root Present the Battle of the HBCUs for VSB HBCU Week!
What’s the fun of celebrating HBCUs if we don’t have a little head-to-head action regarding who has the best homecoming, football team and more? No fun is what. Luckily, we’re fun as shit around here, so where more than two are gathered in the name of HBCUs, let there be shenanigans. With the help of…
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To a School for Greater Service, 1 That We Adore: Tennessee State University
The school year begins in August with freshmen moving into Wilson and Watson halls on the gorgeous campus of Tennessee State University in Nashville. The Aristocrat of Bands is preparing for another year representing as one of the baddest bands in the land, and the sound of “TSU Funk” fills the air. Student Government Association…
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Homecoming Survival Guide: How to Make Smart Life Choices
Editor’s note: This first appeared on VSB on Oct. 21, 2016. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, I’m not referring to the fast-approaching holidays; I’m talking about homecoming season! The time has come for us to take those walks down memory lane back to our alma maters and relive our glory days.…
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Oh, North Carolina A&T, How I Love Thee
Oh Ayantee, how I love thee. I love you because you loved me when I arrived not remembering that both my grandparents attended Ayantee when it was A&T College, not University, and that I was standing on the backs and prayers of my ancestors and that my mother worked there as well. Not remembering who…
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Florida A&M University: Activism Since Day 1
I marched a hole in my shoes the first time. It was 2006. His name was Martin Lee Anderson and he was 14 and had been sent to boot camp in Panama City, Fla. He had stolen his grandmother’s car. She sent him to be redirected. Instead, he was killed. Seven guards. One nurse. Eight…