Black American college students wield political power ahead of Election Day

Authors: Arriana McLymore, Bianca Flowers and Allende Miglietta

GREENSBORO, N.C./WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) – Wearing her school’s signature blue and gold colors, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University student Nia Heaston strolled across campus, taking in the bustle of the 98th Homecoming Weekend at the end of October.

Like thousands of students, alumni and supporters of the nation’s nearly 100 historically black colleges and universities, Heaston was quickly drawn into the weekend’s celebration of black culture, tradition, school pride and community spirit.

HBCUs were once the only places where black Americans could pursue higher education when discriminatory laws barred them from attending predominantly white universities.

The ceremony, which attracted celebrities and politicians, included step demonstrations – dance routines using drums, stomping and clapping – performed by black brotherhoods and sororities. Gospel singers poured out their hearts. Models walked the runway in shiny chain mail and floor-length fur coats under blue and purple lighting.

Marching bands played and swayed as the crowd moved to the music before a football game against a rival HBCU band.

“HBCUs are not just schools for black students — they are homes,” said Heaston, a 21-year-old sophomore from Detroit.

Still, eager volunteers engaged potential voters, urging them to exercise their civic power to be heard.

Weekend homecomings in many battleground states were especially significant this year, just weeks before the Nov. 5 election in which Howard University graduate Kamala Harris, a Democrat, is running for the White House against former Republican former President Donald Trump.

Young Americans could play a key role in the race, with many of them voting for the first time in a presidential election.

Heaton, who is from swing state Michigan, helped coordinate early voting initiatives such as the “Walk to the Polls,” in which students walked less than a mile to vote at a campus polling place.

HBCU campuses pulsated with excitement as generations gathered, knowing Harris had a chance to become the first HBCU graduate in the Oval Office.

At North Carolina A&T, the tap performance erupted into electrifying dance rhythms, with intricate footwork and synchronized clapping that echoed throughout First Horizon Coliseum.

At Howard University, members of Harris’s Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., lined up in a formation in the hall, decorated in green and holding pink pom-poms.

HBCUs have long been centers of cultural and political activity among the Black community, playing a significant role in elections and the civil rights movement. Notable alumni include Morehouse College graduate Martin Luther King Jr.

Harris has often talked about how her years at Howard University in Washington, D.C. influenced her career.

“It challenges the narrative that HBCUs are somehow not on par with other universities,” said Ed Sanders, a political strategist and Howard alumnus.

Reaching out to undecided voters, Harris and Trump have invested heavily in political ads and repeated visits to battleground states such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia, where more than a dozen HBCUs are located. In 2020, Trump won North Carolina by almost 75,000 votes.

“North Carolina desperately needs” student voices, said Tiffany Seawright, North Carolina A&T director of leadership and engagement, as ’90s R&B fried catfish blared from the tailgate. Seawright urged students to drop off their ballots at the early voting campus.

Both campaigns made final efforts to reach young adults, who may be harder to reach than those aged 30 and older.

Harris has drawn strong support among some groups of Black Americans considered the Democratic Party’s most loyal voting bloc, including young women, by engaging them on issues of social justice and abortion rights. However, young voters criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its support of Israel over the Gaza war and expressed concerns about Harris’s support among Black men.

Trump has reportedly gained popularity among black men, but some Democratic strategists believe this is exaggerated. A recent NAACP survey found that from August to October, the percentage of black men under 50 who were likely to vote for Trump dropped from 27% to 21%, while support for Harris increased from 51% to 59%.

But Harris’ lead over Trump narrowed in the final stages of the race to one percentage point over the Republican, 44% to 43%, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Tuesday.

Parties must “make voters feel like they are in a long-term relationship,” said Dr. Basil Smikle Jr., a political strategist and policy adviser.

Harris’ campaign did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. But the campaign announced plans in September to partner with local campaigns to reach HBCU students during homecoming, emphasizing schools in swing states North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia, and state President Joe Biden won by razor-thin margins 12,000 votes in 2020

Trump campaign spokeswoman Janiyah Thomas said it was “leveraging the opportunity to engage with young Black voters,” highlighting initiatives that have benefited HBCUs and their home states.

The nonprofit Vote.org told Reuters it registered more than 1 million voters ages 18-24 this election cycle, targeting underrepresented groups and first-timers in election campaigns and other student outreach efforts on HBCU campuses and in areas with large numbers of voters of color.

Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey cited “unprecedented” youth engagement this election cycle, with voters under 35 accounting for nearly 80% of all new registrations on the organization’s platform in the 2024 election cycle, compared to 64% in 2020

Judge Montgomery, an NC A&T freshman, registered to vote in July during band camp. The drummer plans to cast his vote on campus with other members of a band called the Blue & Gold Marching Machine.

“At first I couldn’t even imagine that I would vote,” said the Georgia resident. “We took a break from the music to dig deeper” into some voting issues, Montgomery said after performing at the N.C. A&T Homecoming Parade to cheers that also welcomed dance bands; the king, queen of the campus, and other members of the “royal court”; and a banner of blue balloons with the word “Kamala”.

BlackPAC CEO Adrianne Shropshire said homecoming events allow candidates to take the final step and have “substantial conversations with people who are still on the fence.”

BlackPAC, a left-wing political action committee, partnered with Howard University students to engage their peers in the Homecoming centennial celebration.

Chloé Enoch, a 21-year-old Howard student, said this year’s election and Harris’s candidacy have already inspired younger generations.

Harris, the most famous HBCU alumna, has appeared on clothing, pins and other merchandise. Howard graduates waved to paper fans, showing her face on the front and early voting and election dates on the back.

This homecoming is about realizing “how important your vote is,” said Kadin Wooten, 19, a first-time voter. After class, she took a six-hour train ride home to New Haven, Conn., to vote in person.

Seeing the Howard graduate on the ballot energized clothing brand owner Travis Merritts, 21, a senior at the university.

During homecoming, Merritts sold T-shirts printed with a photo of Harris celebrating Howard’s 1986 graduation. He drove a few hours south to Florence, South Carolina, to cast his first vote in person because he felt it was significant.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of making history,” Merritts said.

(Reporting by Arriana McLymore, Bianca Flowers and Allende Miglietta; Editing by Kat Stafford and Richard Chang)