HBCU (historically black colleges and universities) have great cultural significance to Black Americans. Marching band culture as well is a very integral part of the hbcu experience. I did marching band al 4 years of high school. The people where I’m from would call my high school a mini hbcu as it was predominantly black. I loved marching band. We were core style for 3 years and switched to show style my senior year. I twirled a flag, a rifle, and I was on the dance line. It ward hard; physically and mentally draining. But it was one of the best experiences of my life. The rush I would get while performing was unmatched. This is really important to the hbcu experience, because it’s a part of our culture that we built here in America from fragments left behind by our vast ancestries. It’s ours. It’s important. And it should be offered the same protections as other cultural practices.
