A new holiday tradition is taking root at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in New Orleans.
HBCU Friendsgiving is creating connections between students across Dillard University, Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA), and Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO). Founded by XULA alumna Destinee Kerr, this initiative was created to unite HBCU students, alumni, and supporters for fellowship, giving, and celebration of the Thanksgiving season.
HBCU Friendsgiving is a lively holiday event uniting HBCU students for a night of celebration, connection, and community happening on Nov. 25 at 6 p.m. The get-together honors HBCU culture while promoting local businesses, outreach, and student leadership.
Organized in just a week and a half, this project quickly evolved from a small idea to a community movement with service at the helm.
Although they were working with limited time and resources, the Friendsgiving team collaborated with local businesses and brands, which officially brought the idea to fruition.
One of those local business owners who stepped up was Chef Phal Hamilton of Phal’s Kitchen. Chef Hamilton prepared a home-cooked menu of smothered turkey wings, baked mac and cheese, yams, cabbage, and dinner rolls. HBCU Friendsgiving’s recent collaborations with Lorettas’s Authentic Pralines and The Black Coffee Company are elevating the initiative as well.
The community donations made quite a difference for over 100 students. Yet the team still spent $5,000 out of pocket to bring everyone together.
As for serving the overall community, students and alumni volunteered at the Second Harvest Food Bank in the days leading up to Friendsgiving, reflecting the initiative’s value of giving back. The team packed over 1,000 food boxes for those in need in two weeks. Greek organization days of service have also been implemented, bringing Divine Nine chapters across the city together for service.
Kerr, the executive director of HBCU Friendsgiving, was motivated by her personal experience as a college student during the holiday season.
In a personal Instagram post, she reflected: “Turning my personal experience into an opportunity, it’s a blessing to be a blessing unto others. Thankfully, during my four years of college, I’d be blessed with a village that would help me redefine the word ‘family’ but also imagine #HBCUFriendsgiving.”
This season, a team of student ambassadors was brought on to increase the outreach of HBCU Friendsgiving. The Dillard University ambassadors include: junior class representative and mass communication major Victoria Byrd; Mister Junior and public health major Paris Allen; and Antoria “Tori” Sykes, a senior film major with a minor in mass communication and President of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Omicron Chapter. Across town are the Xavier University student ambassadors: junior public health major Mya Guy, sophomore biology pre-med major Ari Hughes, and Mister Sophomore Cameron Camp. Together, these dedicated students help organize festivities and community service initiatives around the city.
Kerr’s mission to keep students from feeling alone during the holidays has evolved to a citywide mission of giving back. This new tradition of food, laughter, and service is sure to evolve each year.
As Kerr firmly believes, “With love, it’s a blessing to be a blessing.”
