The Harris-Walz campaign, in an exclusive provided to Watch The Yard, is announcing the launch of a nationwide HBCU Homecoming Tour aimed at engaging Black voters in key battleground states. The tour, which was announced today, will coincide with the annual homecoming celebrations at historically Black colleges and universities, deploying surrogates such as Black elected officials, national leaders, and prominent HBCU alumni to events in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. According to the campaign, the tour will feature appearances by hip-hop figures and cultural influencers and will seeks to meet voters where they are and build momentum ahead of the upcoming election.

The tour kicks off this weekend at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina. As part of the festivities for WSSU’s 132nd Founders Day, the campaign will host a tailgate during the WSSU vs. Bowie State University football game.

The tentative tour schedule includes:

• Winston-Salem State University, Weekend of September 28th
• Lincoln University, Weekend of October 12th
• Virginia State University, Weekend of October 12th
• Howard University, Weekend of October 19th
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Weekend of October 19th
• Clark Atlanta University, Weekend of October 19th
• Morehouse and Spelman College, Weekend of October 26th

The Harris-Walz campaign’s HBCU Homecoming Tour is part of a broader strategy to engage Black voters in key battleground states ahead of the November elections. Last week, the campaign marked National Voter Registration Day by hosting canvassing events across 60 HBCU campuses in states such as Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Vice President Harris recently spoke at a National Association of Black Journalists panel, where she discussed her administration’s $17 billion in federal investments for HBCUs and urged Black voters to participate in the upcoming election. Governor Walz, addressing students at the Atlanta University Consortium, similarly emphasized the importance of voter access, drawing attention to efforts in some states to restrict it.