By Cheryl Smith
It was a great weekend.
You had the State Fair Classic; bringing together two premiere HBCU football teams — Grambling State and Prairie View A&M Universities — for the annual contest that will celebrate its Centennial next year. I was banking on Grambling to win the game and Prairie View to win the Battle of the Bands, even before the ring toss.
Whatever the outcome, I was just happy to be with my people!
HBCU games are like a family reunion. There’s plenty of food, fun, music, tailgating, the fashion show, the parade (on foot), Divine 9 strolling and stepping, card games, vendors, dominoes, and line dancing.
I just love the energy and look forward to attending this event that I have attended since the 1980s when the legendary Coach Eddie Robinson was alive.
This year, the victor was Prairie View A&M University, in five overtimes, no less! As far as the Battle of the Bands, I gave the nod to the World Famed Grambling with their tribute to the late, great Frankie Beverly.
And both Royal Courts were classy and represented excellence.
But even before the game, I was on the campus of the oldest liberal arts HBCU west of the Mississippi River, Paul Quinn College, under the leadership of Dr. Michael J. Sorrell.
It was a Black History moment as the only Black Governor in the entire country, the Hon. Wes Moore, visited the campus with Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), speaking to students and urging everyone to go to the polls.
Gov. Moore stressed the importance of voting the entire ballot and ensuring that when Vice President Kamala Harris is elected President, she will have help.
Congresswoman Crockett also shared insight on legislation that has benefited Texas. She also stressed that Congressman Hakeem Jeffries needs to be the next House Speaker and Congressman Colin Allred (D-TX) needs to be victorious in his Senate race.
And I can’t forget all the GOTV events going on. Whether it was at the Battle of the (High School) Bands at Lancaster High School, the tailgates with Divine 9, Black businesses and Congresswoman Crockett, or the program at Community Baptist Church; everyone seemed to be stressing the urgency of getting registered and voting.
There was the much-needed involvement of the Black Church. Whether it was in person or at Bedside Baptist, the focus from many members of the clergy was on registering voters, making sure voters hadn’t been purged from the lists and urging voters to VOTE!
What a weekend. Let’s keep the energy level up and focused all the way to the polls. Then with a victory, the work really begins!
