Braylon Lockett
The Dillard University Diamonds Dance Team pose with organizers of the Vote HBCU event at Dillard University.
The national campaign, Vote HBCU by Xceleader, hit the oaks of Dillard University last Thursday to encourage civic engagement and register students to vote.
Tevon Blair is a Dillard University alumnus and the co-founder of Xceleader, an organization established in 2018 to assist in developing leaders on HBCU campuses. The Vote HBCU program is a 10-stop tour to HBCUs around the country that aims to educate and encourage civic engagement on campus.
Blair and his team registered 42 Dillard students to vote during the visit, which included an event on Kearny Terrace in collaboration with Greek and other student organizations, and a panel with HBCU alumni.
“I believe that to be an HBCU student is to be a civically engaged student,” said Blair. “So tonight’s panel is to really talk about how HBCU students have always been the forefront of change.”
Vote HBCU’s events were geared towards empowering students, not just about leading on their campus, but also using their voice to vote, Naysa Sutherlin, a junior student, shared. The panel gave her hope that her leadership on campus is also touching the community around her, she said.
Sophomore Xavier Brewer said the panel was informative and demonstrated to students that the community cares about students’ civic engagement at Dillard.
“Coming to HBCU, it really helped me,” said Brewer. “It goes to show that as a minority group, we lack in some things, but, you know, when we come together, we’re very strong.”
Brewer believes voting gives him a chance to feel heard since he typically doesn’t speak up on certain topics unless it’s something that really catches his attention.
“I want to speak up about it and be able to know what I’m voting on,” he said. “You’re not just going to vote just to vote. You’re going to make sure you vote to have a purpose behind it.”
For Sutherlin, voting is a way for her to stay engaged within her community and stand up for the things that impact her and those around her.
“It also teaches me about how important it is to just give back to your community and that your voice holds more power than you may think it does,” she said.
Vote HBCU made an impact on Dillard University students. The events, although in collaboration with an outside organization, flowed smoothly into campus life that Thursday.
“Our job is to educate, mobilize, and empower students. Too often, people are telling them who to vote for or who’s in the process of doing things. We’re not asking them what they care about,” said Blair.
Election day in New Orleans is Saturday, October 11, 2025. Voters will choose the city’s next mayor, sheriff, seven city council members, assessor, and criminal court clerk.