- Title: Black US college students and alumni wield political power ahead of Election Day
- Date: 2nd November 2024
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE)(English) TIFFANY SEAWRIGHT, DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT AT N.C. A&T STATE UNIVERSITY, SAYING: “For me, every election, to me, we get closer and closer to moving backwards. So, it's always heavy for me. But today, in this moment, to see students actually start to stand up again. We, we've seen a turnaround towards the better.” VARIOUS OF STUDENTS A
- Embargoed: 16th November 2024 10:23
- Keywords: 2024 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS BLACK VOTERS HBCU HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY HOMECOMING NCA&T NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY
- Location: GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES
- City: GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA005531828102024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Dressed in her alma mater’s signature blue and gold colors, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumnus Audrey Sherrod watched marching bands, dance groups and others in the university’s homecoming parade in Greensboro, North Carolina on October 19.
Like thousands of students, alumni and supporters of the nation's nearly 100 historically Black colleges and universities, Sherrod, a real estate agent based in Atlanta, was quickly swept up in the weekend-long 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.
Attracting celebrities and politicians, the festivities featured step shows - percussive, stomping and clapping dance routines - by Black fraternities and sororities. Gospel singers poured their hearts out. Models strutted down runways in shiny chainmail tops and floor-length fur coats under blue and purple lights.
From DJs to drumlines, crowds embraced the celebratory atmosphere, moving with the music and enjoying food before a football showdown with a rival HBCU.
Sherrod, who graduated North Carolina A&T in 1997, said she voted early in her native swing state of Georgia to avoid long lines on Election Day.
“I voted for Kamala Harris because I felt like she has values that we share,” Sherrod said. “And just didn’t want to have four more years of Trump, to be honest with you.”
On campus, zealous volunteers engaged potential voters, urging them to exercise their power as citizens to be heard.
Ciara Mitchell, an 18-year-old freshman at North Carolina A&T, said the enthusiasm and advocacy for civic engagement is palpable.
“I really do like how the campus is making sure every student is involved and voting because this is a really, really big election,” Mitchell said. “So, I'm really glad that as an HBCU student, I'm seeing firsthand that people actually care about our country and they care about us as well.”
Homecoming weekends in many battleground states had extra significance this year, weeks before the Nov. 5 election with Howard University graduate Kamala Harris, a Democrat, running for the White House against Republican former President Donald Trump.
Young Americans could play a crucial role in the race, with many voting for the first time in a presidential election.
HBCU campuses were throbbing with excitement as generations gathered, knowing that Harris had a chance of becoming the first HBCU graduate in the Oval Office.
North Carolina A&T alumnus LaVie Leasure, a college administrator from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said Harris represents the promise and potential for HBCU students.
“To see the culmination of an HBCU graduate running for the presidency and to be a true contender as the president is awesome,” Leasure said. “It just speaks to what HBCUs create and develop and support over the course of time.”
HBCUs have long been cultural and politically active hubs among Black communities, playing a prominent role in elections and the civil rights movement. Famous alumni include Morehouse College graduate Martin Luther King, Jr.
Harris has spoken frequently about how her years at Howard University in Washington, D.C., influenced her career.
Targeting undecided voters, Harris and Trump have invested heavily in political ads and multiple visits to battleground states such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia, where more than a dozen HBCUs are located. Trump won North Carolina by nearly 75,000 votes in 2020.
"North Carolina is in desperate need" of student votes, said Tiffany Seawright, North Carolina A&T director of leadership and engagement, as 1990's R&B music blasted at a parking lot party where hundreds lined up for barbecued ribs and fried catfish. Seawright urged students to cast their ballots at an early voting campus site.
Both campaigns have made last-ditch efforts to court young adults, who are less likely to vote than those aged 30 and above.
Harris has received strong support among some groups of Black Americans, considered the Democratic Party's most loyal voting bloc, including young women, by engaging them on social justice and abortion rights. But young voters have criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its support of Israel over the war in Gaza and raised concerns about Harris' support among Black men.
Trump has reportedly gained traction among Black males, but some Democratic strategists say that has been exaggerated. A recent NAACP survey found from August to October, the percentage of Black men under 50 likely to vote for Trump fell from 27% to 21%, while support for Harris rose from 51% to 59%.
However, Harris' lead over Trump dwindled in the final stretch of the race to a single percentage point over the Republican, 44% to 43%, a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed.
The Harris campaign did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. However, the campaign announced plans in September to partner with local campaigns to reach HBCU students during homecomings, emphasizing schools in swing states North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia, a state President Joe Biden won by a razor thin margin of 12,000 votes in 2020.
Nonprofit Vote.org told Reuters it has registered over 1 million voters aged 18-24 this election cycle by targeting underrepresented groups and first-timers in voter drives and other outreach to students on HBCU campuses and in areas with large numbers of voters of color.
Justice Montgomery, an NC A&T freshman, registered to vote in July during band camp. The drummer plans to cast his ballot on campus with fellow members of the band called the Blue & Gold Marching Machine.
"Originally, I couldn't even see myself going to vote," the Georgia native said. "But it was really my grandma that pushed me to make sure I register and make sure my voice is heard."
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