The Importance of Passing Down HBCU Tailgating Traditions

You'll find crawfish, crab, corn and more during an HBCU homecoming season tailgate. One family shares the meals and memories that make the meetup special.

Loudly-played R&B classics and the aroma of grilled meat fill the air as students, alumni, friends and family mingle for a tailgate at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). The lineage and legacy present is a longtime source of pride and joy.  You can spot attendees of all ages getting their dance on, showing their teeth and passing plates. The tailgate is one of the most exciting times of the entire school year for its nostalgic feelings, new memories and sense of community. Many Black families have encouraged the younger generations around them to also attend HBCUs and homecoming tailgates, making room for heartfelt tradition building.

We sat down with recent Hampton University alumnus Jonathan Nash and his mother, Vivian, to hear about their family's connection to HBCUs how they keep their tailgates fun. 

Family History

For the Nashes, the legacy of attending Virginia’s Hampton University began with Vivian Simpson in 1918. Following her was Gloria Haithman, who became the family’s second generation of HBCU attendees after going to Hampton University from 1956 until 1960. She attended the institution during the Jim Crow era, one of the most pivotal points in Black history.

“For my grandparents to each go to college, meet each other and then have a daughter (my mother) who attended during the late 50s and 60s during the civil rights movement then for me to attend during the early 80s for only two years and then for my son to have just graduated from there in August during COVID, is such an honor,” Vivian said.

In 1983, Vivian Nash (née Ferguson)  headed to Hampton to study political science, but later transferred to the University of Southern California. Though her husband did not attend an HBCU, she made it a priority to educate her children on what these schools meant to their family and Black culture as a whole.

Four decades after it began, the fourth arm to the generational lineage began with Jonathan Nash, who studied Marine Science, graduated from Hampton in 2023.

The tradition of participating in tailgate season started for their family after Vivian began to reconnect with old classmates and re-associated herself with alumni activities tied to the practice.

Inside the Nash’s Tailgates

Attending a tailgate party is essential to any fall calendar, especially if you and your family enjoy trying new foods. For the Nash family, their plates may include barbecue chicken, macaroni and cheese and collard greens. They cook their own passed down recipes.

The Nash's macaroni and cheese ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 lb macaroni

8 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup muenster cheese, shredded

1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

2 cups half-and-half

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon, seasoning salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

The cross-generational celebration also provides the opportunity for local or alumni-owned businesses to promote themselves to attendees. These businesses range anywhere from clothing to food to cosmetics.

Of course, the music matters, too.

“I believe you have to have a good [musical] artist lineup and areas within the tailgate that are age-friendly for a mix of generations so those who may be younger or older can connect,” Jonathan said when explaining his must-haves for a great homecoming.  The Nash family stays organized during tailgate season by coordinating months in advance on travel arrangements.

For them, the football game isn’t necessarily the main attraction—it’s about the people. “My fondest memory from a tailgate is just the fun that is purely how Black folks do it. The music, that energy, the dancing, fraternities and sororities, it’s just beautiful and to see that it’s progressive Black people that are just having fun,” said Vivian.

The Game

Oftentimes during an HBCU homecoming, the host school will go against another HBCU to heighten the experience. In the stadium, you’ll see bleachers coated in the school colors and hear various cheers from the audience on who they’re rooting for.

Some major highlights of the game are the marching bands and the majorette dancers that accompany them. This is another competition within the game that allows for bands to go head to head to showcase who has the best takes on hip-hop and R&B hits. The dance teams are known for stealing the show with their smooth moves.

“The elements that make the homecoming great is the band, not so much the football game, sorry to say,” Vivian remarked. “The tailgate parties, the evening parties, seeing people we haven’t seen in a while, the music, the food, there’s nothing like it.”

Maintaining Traditions

For many families, passing the torch of the HBCU student experience is an honor. One is able to build their own personal legacy while establishing strong community bond. This continuation helps keep our joy alive and most importantly, sacred.

“I definitely feel like the reason I was able to accomplish everything I have— my education, mentality, all was built by having an HBCU foundation and the Black love you receive from an HBCU,” Jonathan said when asked about how attending the type of school he did impacted him.

Though homecoming tailgates are only once a year, how students, faculty, alumni, and guests feel stays with them for generations.

For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Parents.