The University of North Carolina and Florida A&M University will play in the HBCU Celebration Game to open the 2022 football season on Saturday, Aug. 27. While a number of events and recognitions have already been announced, organizers continue to add elements to an exciting weekend focused on celebrating historically black colleges and universities.
First, it has been confirmed that FAMU’s Marching 100 will be in Chapel Hill. Both the Marching 100 and the Marching Tar Heels will perform during pregame and halftime, and there will be a joint performance prior to the game.
There will be a number of in-game recognitions including the introduction of both teams Honorary Captains, Rod Broadway and Bill Hayes for UNC and Rudy Hubbard for FAMU. There will also be a special Kenan Legend, as well as recognitions for UNC faculty and staff members who are HBCU alums and UNC students.
On Friday, Aug. 26 from 10-6 p.m. at Great Hall, HBCU Heroes are hosting a Career Fest, a diverse hiring event welcoming job and intern seekers with disciplines from tech to business, STEM to sports management, and much more. Six HBCU Presidents from across North Carolina will be in attendance to speak. Companies such as Amazon, Warner Bros. Discovery, MAI Capital, Paul Hastings, Wasserman and Fox Soul have pledged to support the event and connect with interested parties. Vinnie Rock, rapper from the classic hip-hop group Naughty By Nature turned tech entrepreneur, will be in attendance to host a tech talk. The producers of the movie Delia’s Gone will be hosting a career panel and movie screening. Students will be involved as well, serving as panel moderators, while HBCU sororities and fraternities will strut their stuff during stroll offs, a crowd favorite similar to step performances and a staple of Greek culture. There will also be a live stream available of the event that can be accessed by clicking HERE. See the attached flyer for more information.
There will be Black and Blue Tours on both Friday and Saturday starting at 3:45 pm. Professor Robert Porter will conduct a 90-minute tour each day, highlighting the history of African-Americans at UNC. Those who are interested in attending should gather at East Franklin and Henderson St. at the UNC Historical Marker in front of McCorkle Place at that time. For more information, click HERE.
There will also be a lively addition to Tar Heel Town on game day as BPaiz from 95.3 The Beat will host a block party on the steps of Wilson Library from 4-7 p.m.
Collaboration between athletics departments, campus and town entities is ongoing and programming around the Celebration Game will continue to grow in anticipation of what will be a special weekend on North Carolina’s campus.
Tickets for the FAMU game are on-sale now. Fans can purchase single-game tickets for the 8 p.m. kickoff in Kenan Stadium or they can take advantage of the Family Package. To purchase tickets, click HERE.
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