One of the most exciting and inspiring traditions within the African American collegiate community is homecoming.
With activities from football games between longtime rivals, to parades, the crowning of kings and queens, to concerts, colloquiums, and church services, homecoming at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have evolved from a need for pride and a celebration of Black excellence in the face of systemic exclusion.
Homecoming provides a safe space for generations of Black scholars to affirm their identities, highlight their collective achievement, and reflect upon their shared culture.
In a tradition that dates to the early 1900s at HBCUs like Howard and Hampton Universities, alumni return to the campuses from which they graduated to celebrate school pride.
Now these traditionally joyful events find themselves under the specter of death as shootings have been reported at or near HBCUs during recent celebrations in Washington, D.C., Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
On Oct. 25, a shooting at Lincoln University during homecoming resulted in the death of one man and the injury of six others.
One day earlier, on Oct. 24, five people were shot and injured near Howard University’s campus during homecoming weekend.
Some schools have increased security, but others say they are looking for solutions that would not result in homecoming becoming a heavily policed event. While there’s understandable reluctance about over-policing predominantly African American spaces, gun violence already disproportionately affects Black communities.
We cannot allow gun violence to become an accepted and normalized part of annual homecoming celebrations. It’s important to hold one another accountable and put an end to violence, not just at homecomings, but in Black communities nationwide.
Further, perhaps Congress, whenever they return to work, should stop protecting the rights of organizations like the NRA and begin stepping up for innocent Black boys and girls— youth who only want to better their lives in the pursuit of higher education.
So far, there have been few reports that indicate who’s pulling the trigger during these outbreaks of violence; but someone knows something. And no matter the race or ethnicity of the triggermen, such acts of violence cannot be condoned.