Growing up in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé Knowles said that her whole life had been shaped by her Blackness.
The famous singer-songwriter and younger sister, Solange, grew up in the shadow of Historical Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCU. He watched Battle of the Bands as a kid at Prairie View A&M University and sat in the audience, amazed. Although Knowles was catapulted into star power when he was a teenager, he said that if his life had turned out to be different, he would attend one. But alas, the divine power has another way for global sensation.
In 2018, Knowles became the first black woman headlines Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – it is without a doubt one of the largest events in the world. The two-hour set wasn’t just a concert; it was a radical turning point in the show’s history, creating touching social effects that touched fashion, internet memes, Grammys, and Netflix.
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The music is great, but to be honest, we’re here to mode. The costumes for the Beychella major dancer, the stick player, the stepper, the drumline, and the false promise of brotherhood were all made by Olivier Rousteing‘s Balmain. Rousteing was one of the world’s first black creative directors of fashion to head a large French heritage house, a key point in Knowles’s book as a longtime collaborator. For the stars, every detail counted to be science. The Houston native knew before he even took the stage that the event would change history.
“I want a black orchestra. I want steppers. I need a different character, I don’t want us all to do the same thing,” he said. Come home Netflix documentary. “And the number of swag is unlimited.”
Knowles made a deliberate choice when concentrating on Black’s college experience during his 2018 performance. For many, this was their first time seeing anything like it. Beychella was a huge cultural leap, but it didn’t start there.
Historically, Black Colleges and Universities – or HBCUs – are a collection of academic institutions across the country that started in the image of segregation. Founded in 1837, now 107 schools offer opportunities for higher learning at a time when so many black Americans were barred from entering established colleges, now inversely called PWI – a predominantly white institution. The HBCU not only fosters academic excellence, but also provides a rich cultural sanctuary for Black students to thrive without fear of social repercussions.
Over the years, black actors, politicians, filmmakers, poets, and celebrities have talked about their Black college experiences that shaped their creation process. Famous director Spike Lee, a Morehouse College graduate, put HBCU’s life front and center when filming his 1988 film School Daze.
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Lee’s love letter to the academic institution that underpins him is much more than just great beats and distinctive cinematography. Too much, School Daze is the first accurate depiction of life in the HBCU, made for black people, by black people. The film’s celebration highlights a vibrant and breathable community created among black students, from homecoming weekends to the Nine Gods.
However, the week-long celebrations weren’t just in movies. Homecoming is an integral part of the HBCU culture with alumni, faculty, and students gathering for cooking shows and raising drumlines. There are steppers, strollers and Greek sisters who steal the show. You might even see it Kanye West on your Howard University return, who knows? However much we love Mrs. Carter, Beychella pales in comparison to the saccharine joy that radiates from these intimate occasions.
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School DazeThe main characters – members of the fraternity in the fictional Gamma Phi Gamma – are representations of the brotherhood born out of HBCU. The National Pan-Hellenic Council, a collection of fraternities and sororities for Black Greek students, took center stage in universities across the country after being founded in the 1930s. Known as the Divine Nine, these organizations acted as companions of traditional white Greek life – often criticized for its racist and elitist past.
The Nine Immortals wore their pride on their sleeves – literally. What Lilly Pulitzer meant for the sorority of white students in the South was a satin university jacket for Kappas and Ques at Howard University, one of the most prestigious HBCUs in the country. The letters are worn with great respect, the founder’s colors are often coordinated to match the best in monochrome. The fraternity and sorority members are shown to the public in synchronized lines wearing elaborate costumes after weeks of training during the Probate season. In HBCU Greek life, identities revolve around elevating one another. The uniform, both assumed and acquired, brings together Black Greek life and the surrounding academic family in their pursuit of a joyous common identity.
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But, is that a uniform? The term is more than just a plain plaid skirt and blazer fictional school girl wear and tear on the streets of Manhattan. Since its inception, collective dress identifiers have been used to unite people of economic status, military rank, or social groups. This is not to make the wearers feel like proper clones of one another, but rather to enjoy their shared life-defining experiences. In the United States, the idea of self-identity is ingrained in us from birth. Who wants to be the basis? Not us. So why are we willing to wear something drab that everyone wears?
It’s simple: We often want to be part of something bigger.
The principle of collectivism, prioritizing the group as a whole over individual needs, encourages us to be better. While we may complain about wearing cheap polo shirts and trousers to work, those markers strengthen our place in the world. It is comforting for some to know that there is a group of people standing by. The shared experiences and backgrounds provide a safe space for those who have not been given another opportunity to develop. For black men and women in the Nine Divine, stitched letterman jackets and Greek letters aren’t just something to put in your Instagram bio. It means a lot more. For this community that has been cooped up from the start of academia, proudly wearing Blackness on their sleeves is something to celebrate.
During the President’s inauguration in 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris wore his signature pearl and Chuck spoke on the steps of the Capitol Building in honor of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.’s roots. hers. The necklace, created by Puerto Rican designer Wildredo Rosado, is a callback to the founding members of AKA – often called the Twenty Pearls organization. “Family is Alpha Kappa Alpha I love,” Harris said of his relationship with the organization during the 2020 Democratic National Convention – he joined the founder of the Alpha branch of AKA at Howard University in 1986. US Congressman Terri Sewell sat in the stands with Harris, proudly showing off AKA-inspired personal protective equipment in pink and green. Sewell is a member of the Zeta Eta Omega branch, in Selma, Alabama.
While we didn’t see greens and pinks on the Harris live that morning, we did see AKA’s signature colors lighting up newsstands everywhere – Veep was the cover star of January’s Vogue. The now iconic image, taken by young fashion photographer Tyler Mitchel, framed Harris with hanging pink and green sheets, a subtle nod to the Alpha chapter of his alma mater. “To me, their colors conjure up images of black women standing together,” Mitchel said. “[United] in brotherhood all the time, affirming each other. “
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More than just uniforms, the motifs and symbols of pride that the Nine Gods and HBCU alumni wear proudly are a famous differentiator. The strength that exists in solidarity cannot be ignored as the nation grapples with its unjust past.
While Beychella may have brought Black’s academic experience to the forefront of the conversation, that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist before her 2018 Coachella appearance. Instagram pages dedicated to the HBCU experience, such as Watch the Yard, document today’s pioneers on the National Pan-Hellenic Council and student street style icons. With a rich and dynamic history, the legacy of the HBCU and the Nine Gods continues to shape the country’s fashion conversation.
