Picture it, October 2022. The beautiful campus of the Illustrious Clark Atlanta University. The sun is shining. I mean shining, shining. You walk from the parking deck behind the student center over to the Albert H. Watts Alumni House. On that journey you see your Freshman year dorm to your left, just up ahead you see balloons and Red, Black and Grey everywhere. It is a sight to behold. You can feel the nostalgia in the air, it is palpable. You make it to your destination, where the Alumni Brunch Club is holding a Toast to Homecoming. Your heart swells as you start to see the faces of so many people that were a part of the best 4 years of your life. There are so many genuine hugs, Heeeeys, mini catch up sessions and lots of love.
You get pulled to the side for Phil and Friends radio show and he asks what piece of advice you would give to current students. The response; to make as many connections as you can amongst the faculty and staff as well as your peers. Get involved, get active. You never know who you will need and what path you will go down. You never know who can help you. What we all quickly learn on and HBCU campus is that the people you meet become your life long friends, your chosen family. These are the bridesmaids and groomsmen at your wedding. God parents to your kids. Business Partners, confidants, soul mates, cheering squad, and the people who push you to reach for the stars.
You see, there is nothing quite like matriculating through an HBCU. You will constantly look back on the time that you were just free to be you. You become an adult on these campuses, in an environment that nurtures you, not only your mind but your spirit, your heart. There is an energy that you feel when walking on campus, its hard to describe, but its almost as if you can hear and feel the ancestors rooting for you. I often say I wish I could bottle up that feeling, so I can pull it out of the jar at the times I need it most.
Homecoming offers us a chance for just a brief moment, to do essentially that, COME HOME. To the sacredness of black excellence, and love, to joy, and peace, to family. To reignite that push to go out into the world and sprinkle it with our Black Magic. To leave every space that we enter better than it was before we got there. To find a way or make one. Culture for service.
One thing I know for certain, attending Clark Atlanta University is one of the best decision I ever made in my life.