This past weekend I went to Texas Southern University’s homecoming, and it was the first time in a long time since I’d been to an HBCU homecoming. For those of you who don’t know, HBCU stands for ‘Historically Black College (or) University’ and this weekend was just that. Black. Black excellence. Black girl magic. Black boy joy. We danced, socialized, ate great food and truly enjoyed ourselves on the yard. Now I made a rookie mistake that I won’t be making again when I go to Prairie View’s homecoming this upcoming weekend, so I decided to share a few tips with y’all to help you have a great homecoming experience.
Dress appropriately – Check the weather ahead of time and make sure your outfit has enough layers to get you through the afternoon and evening. We were out there for about 5 hours and over the course of that time, the temperature dropped like 15 degrees. We saw so many people out in hoodies and jackets which was smart. You can wear it around your waist when the sun is out and put them on once it sets.
Wear comfortable shoes – Don’t be like me and wear cowboy boots (unless they’re properly broken in), you’ll be walking a few miles on different kinds of terrain for a long time so sneakers, flats or other broken-in shoes will be your best bet.
Hydrate – With water. You’ll be drinking plenty of *ahem* juice, so you’ll need to make sure that you drink water too. And while you’re at it, bring a travel mug or cup…and one that you wouldn’t mind losing in case that happens. These tents have plenty of bottles, but few cups so unless you plan on driving the boat all day you’d be smart to bring a cup.
Don’t break the line – Greek life is very serious on HBCU campuses, and one of the most disrespectful things you can do is break someone’s line while they’re strolling.
Bring a portable charger – If you’re like me then you’re likely going to homecoming with your friends and there’s a very good chance y’all will get separated. The last thing you want to do is have a dead phone battery when that happens.
Crossbody purses or fanny packs only – Homecoming is not the time to bring out big purses. There will be bodies everywhere and those bags get heavier the more you drink so keep it light. Leave the big stuff in the car and only carry the essentials with you in a smaller bag. I wore a crossbody purse to TSU’s homecoming and I’ll likely have this fanny pack for PV’s this upcoming weekend.
Happy homecoming, y’all!