Howard University’s Homecoming — A Radiant Return, A Living Archive
Photography: DEE DWYER
At historically Black colleges and universities, band culture is the heartbeat of homecoming — from the roar of the football game to campus rallies and the parade. Integral, intense, and inseparable from the school spirit.
In collaboration with Alexander-Julian Gibbson, photographer Dee Dwyer captures the essence of Howard Homecoming — a sanctuary of joy, reflection, and radical connection.
At a moment when America feels increasingly polarized, when legislation, rhetoric, and even the air itself seem weighted against Black and brown existence, spaces like Howard University carry an even greater gravity. For many of us, Howard represents the rare place where being seen and being understood coexist without tension. For many, it’s the first place where ambition and identity are allowed to intertwine freely.
Each year, the pilgrimage to Howard Homecoming is a call to return to what shaped us, to the Mecca that first taught us how to hold our heads high in rooms not designed for us. And this year, that homecoming energy felt especially charged. Against a national backdrop of division and fatigue, the Yard pulsed with joy that was both radical and restorative.
Generations of Bison — Howard University’s proud mascot — unite for homecoming. This year, the Class of 1985 gathered in celebration together, while the Class of 2000 marked its 25th anniversary — among them, the late Chadwick Boseman, namesake of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts. On the Yard, current students (shown here) connect during Yardfest, Howard’s legendary outdoor concert and cultural festival that serves as the centerpiece of homecoming weekend.
For one weekend, lifted up by the boundless spirit of camaraderie, the world seemed to tilt in our favor. Alumni from every corner of the country descended upon D.C. They arrived as lawyers, artists, doctors, journalists, executives: Each carrying the weight of the worlds they move through daily. In those spaces, they are often the “only,” the “first,” the “representation.” But here, at Howard, they are simply home. There’s no need for translation or softening of edges. Every greeting on the Yard reminds us that Blackness is an ecosystem: joy and intellect, art and activism, history and imagination, all coexisting under the same banner.
That’s what makes homecoming sacred. It’s not about nostalgia for a college past. It’s about remembering the freedom that comes with being surrounded by mirrors that reflect your full self back at you. To be Black at Howard is to be affirmed in ways that reverberate long after the music stops. It’s permission to rest, to laugh too loudly, to wear color unapologetically, and to dance on the same soil that once carried your uncertainty and now holds your pride.
Photography: DEE DWYER
Howard University alum Jalen Gunter attends Howard Homecoming 2025, pictured at Sankofa Video and Books — a beloved cultural landmark that specializes in literature and films about people of African descent around the world. Long regarded as an extension of Howard University’s campus, Sankofa remains a vibrant community hub and gathering place for students, alumni, and visitors alike.
This year, we set out to capture those smiles, embraces, and confident strides, to hold a mirror up to the best parts of who we are. In every photo, there’s evidence of a dual truth: our existence is both soft and strong; our joy can be tender and political all at once.
Howard taught us how to dream. Homecoming reminds us why we dream: to build, to belong, and to keep returning to the source. These images capture that spirit: the light, laughter, and legacy that make homecoming not just a weekend, but a homecoming of the soul.
Photography: DEE DWYER
K’ab Juun: Where Mexican Craft and Contemporary Vision Converge in NYC K’ab Juun: Where Mexican Craft and Contemporary Vision Converge in NYC
K’ab Juun: Where Mexican Craft and Contemporary Vision Converge in NYC
Please, Can We All Speak Human Again? Please, Can We All Speak Human Again?
Please, Can We All Speak Human Again?
The Wellness Escapes Redefining Longevity The Wellness Escapes Redefining Longevity
The Wellness Escapes Redefining Longevity
Searching for Forever: Why Living Longer and Better Might Be Simpler Than You Think Searching for Forever: Why Living Longer and Better Might Be Simpler Than You Think
Searching for Forever: Why Living Longer and Better Might Be Simpler Than You Think
Christian Louboutin’s Timeless Reinvention Christian Louboutin’s Timeless Reinvention
Christian Louboutin’s Timeless Reinvention
Before Hashtags, There was “Black is Beautiful” Before Hashtags, There was “Black is Beautiful”
Before Hashtags, There was “Black is Beautiful”
Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions with Photographer Ashley Peña Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions with Photographer Ashley Peña
Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions with Photographer Ashley Peña
Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama’s Parliament of Ghosts Comes to London Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama’s Parliament of Ghosts Comes to London
