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FILE PHOTO: A general view of the field during the Yale Bulldogs vs Harvard Crimson football game at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. Adam Glanzman | Getty Images A new tradition for HBCU football could be starting at one of the nation’s oldest football stadiums on the campus of Harvard University. “It’s really a cultural event,” said Derek Brown, co-founder of the Essence HBCU Classic, an NCAA football game between teams of historically Black colleges and universities. This year’s inaugural match-up is between with the Morehouse College Maroon Tigers and the Johnson C. Smith University Golden Bulls on Saturday during Labor Day Weekend. “Football is definitely a part of the weekend. But I would say it’s the appetizer, and everything that comes with it is the entrée,” Brown said. The four-day event co-founded by Campus Rise, which also created the HBCU NY Classic, will feature a pep rally, tailgate, battle of the bands and a step show with the goal of creating at atmosphere similar to an HBCU homecoming. “We are trying to amplify HBCUs and the amazing folks that go to those schools,” said Michele Ghee, chief content officer of title sponsor Essence. “What an amazing opportunity to say, ‘Yes, HBCUs are producing great students just like Harvard.’” The event’s organizers said they chose Boston because of the large number of HBCU alumni in the area and chose Harvard Stadium for its historical significance. In 1971, Howard University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore played a game at the stadium organized by the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts. “Boston is actively working to shape a new narrative,” said John Borders IV, a Morehouse graduate and head of the Boston Office of Sports, Tourism and Entertainment, noting Mayor Michelle Wu is actively trying to distance the city from its history…

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Filed under: News - @ August 29, 2025 8:27 pm