When Greensboro Turned Blue and Gold

Photos By Cameron Smith

GREENSBORO, North Carolina – Historically Black colleges and universities’ homecoming season vibes just hit different — and it’s off to a memorable start.

From the fashion to the plethora of events, these annual homecomings can’t be replicated. The diversity of HBCU culture is on full display.

HBCU homecomings’ roots go back to the early 1900s, when institutions like Howard University, Hampton University, Florida A&M University, and Morehouse College began hosting campus gatherings that welcomed alumni back. Rooted in school pride, they are affirmations of identity and fellowship.

Folks often credit Howard for being one of the first to create homecoming the way alumni and students celebrate today across the country. But it’s certainly not the only one. Attendees at North Carolina A&T State University, the nation’s most prominent public HBCU, understood the assignment this year.

Homecoming season usually lasts from late September to early November. While A&T was welcoming its alumni back to the city, so did Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, Morgan State University in Baltimore, and Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama.

A&T alums took over the city of Greensboro. They packed into hotels, gathered on street corners, and prepped for the big football game, while vendors sold the university’s paraphernalia.

The moment you stepped on campus this past weekend, the sea of blue and gold intensified. Crowds became backed up, but the people never stopped moving. They danced to songs such as “My Girl” by 2000s boy band Mindless Behavior, Kirk Franklin’s “Stomp,” and early 2000s throwbacks.

Alumni say A&T’s homecoming, which the university nicknamed the “Greatest Homecoming on Earth,” has its own uniqueness. It’s unclear how it got the name, but the first homecoming was in 1926. And this weekend, it didn’t disappoint.

“Aye, man, I love it here; we’re family,” said Earl Mills, a 2004 graduate of A&T. “When you’re here, we’re all family, man. No violence, everything is peaceful, everybody showin’ love.”

Mills, a North Carolina native, said he hasn’t missed a single homecoming since he started attending the university in 2000. When he comes back, he often speaks life into current students, encouraging them to keep pushing through their academics. As a former manufacturing information major, he understands the challenges of going through the university and continues to encourage students to keep pushing forward.

Students work the runway at the fashion show

“The Greatest Homecoming on Earth” is renowned for its numerous festivities for the A&T community, but above all else, students are dedicated to keeping the fashion scene on campus vibrant year after year. At this year’s fashion show presented by the school’s Council of Presidents, students graced the stage with bold and versatile looks.

From avant-garde pieces to street wear and styled Aggie apparel to iconic brand names, each model gave life to their outfits with an aura of absolute free expression. The show featured several choreographed performances by on-campus organizations, and student host Phillip Colbert III, aka Philgotit, kept the energy high with lighthearted commentary in between breaks. Aggies truly showed off their creativity and commitment to the style for this year’s GHOE Fashion Show.

The event was held at Corbett Sports Center on Oct. 7.

Repping school pride with Jersey Day

Jersey Day is more than big lines for a shirt for A&T. It’s an invitation to tradition every year.

The desire to grab a homecoming jersey for the year is shared by thousands, with the joy of togetherness filling the yard. Some students have even taken to social media to flex their collection of homecoming jerseys so far.

Whether it’s your first GHOE as a student or your last before graduation, nothing says Aggie Pride like the excitement of being able to represent your school wherever you go.

Aggies get in the spirit at pep rally

Don’t let the name fool you, this isn’t some high school spirit event just with more people. It’s far from it.

The pep rally is a time for students to get hype up for the school’s athletic prowess and as a student body. Teams are honored and recognized by their peers, and all in attendance share the popular songs and dances for the year.

For this year, a parody of the game show Wild N’ Out was recreated with guest appearances from Gerard Rankin Sr. and Darren Brand, who were on the actual show. Students took a shot at free-styling puns and clever lines in the style of the show, after which there was a surprise performance by emerging Atlanta artist BunnaB.

The pep rally was more than hype. It was a preview of just how much energy is headed to campus for the rest of GHOE week.

The Yard is always a good time, especially during the tailgate.

The big game finally came on Oct. 11. A&T played South Carolina State University, with the visitors winning 22-16.

The Aggies may have lost the game, but they didn’t lose in terms of spirit. The game was sold out more than a week before the game. For those without tickets, thousands of people wandered the campus, bouncing between several tailgates in just about every parking lot on campus.

In the crowds were alumni, current students, and several future Aggies in strollers. Several students and alumni popped out with custom-made paraphernalia made especially for the weekend.

With thousands of people on campus, several people were at the tailgate, phones held high, trying to get a connection to purchase food, drinks and paraphernalia from vendors.

At almost every HBCU homecoming across the country, you’ll see vendors selling turtles on the street corner. It remains a mystery how this tradition started, but students like Aubrey Wolfe have waited all year to buy a turtle.

The A&T senior named the turtle Akasha, after R&B singer Aaliyah’s character in the film “Queen of the Damned.”

This year, he waited until the end of the tailgate to take his new friend home.

“We wanted to get it when it ended so it wouldn’t move around a bunch,” he said.

The spotty cellphone service didn’t stop the Aggie pride one bit. While walking through the crowd, Capital B encountered a tailgater using a walkie-talkie, telling a friend to meet her at the cafe — a shortened version of cafeteria, often used by HBCU students.