Date: Sunday, October 23, 2005
By: Jason "Jake" McDonald
Celebrities attending HBCU Homecomings are becoming as common as the week long event itself. Ever since Howard University hosted Morehouse College back in the mid-eighties, current fans are almost assured of seeing one of their favorite music or movie stars at Homecoming. This year followed the trend as fans rubbed elbows with Oscar and Grammy winners in the stands and along the sidelines.
In 1988, the movie School Daze was all the rage, the campus hustle man was selling -insert school name here-Daze shirts on the yard, and Chocolate City was getting ready for the biggest Homecoming party of the decade. While HBCUs have always secured big talent to headline the post-game concert, the arrival of famed Morehouse alumnus Spike Lee attracted folks from all over. Everyone who had a ride (or a friend with one) crowded onto Howard's campus to socialize with the visitors from the AUC. The outcome of the game may not have been that memorable but the ‘School Daze-billed’ after-party at the old Post Office was legendary.
Since then and with the explosion of hip-hop sightings of music industry artist and big screen stars have been on the rise. The season after winning American Idol, Reuben Studdard was sighted at a number of homecomings. Overly anxious witnesses often put the burly balladeer in two places at the same time.
John David Washington's arrival at Morehouse three years ago assured fans of at least a passing glimpse of his famous father, actor Denzel Washington. In spite of all the attention the noted actor has always stayed focused on the game. This year actor/director/writer Robert Townsend joined Washington on the Morehouse sideline. A longtime family friend Townsend served as Grand Marshall for the Homecoming Day Parade. "I've known JD since the knucklehead was little but this is my first time seeing him play here" beamed an obviously impressed Townsend. Past AUC Homecomings have been graced by celebrities that included Studdard, Chris Tucker, and Darryl 'Chill' Mitchell.
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Monday, October 24th 2005 at 11:47AM
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