Knowing the History and why it is Important.

Classes of the State Normal College for Colored Students began on October 3, 1887 with 15 students and two instructors.

“In 1904, a very determined young black woman, Mary McLeod Bethune, opened the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls with $1.50, faith in God and five little girls for students.” (That is the very first sentence of the Bethune-Cookman history page.)

What began in 1925 as a regular football game between two HBCUs, the annual FAMU vs. Bethune-Cookman showdown has slowly transformed into one of the oldest football rivalries in the state of Florida. So large in fact that a whole weekend of festivities surrounds this game, known as the Florida Classic. Since it made its home in Tampa in 1978, and then in Orlando in 1996, more than 1.4 million fans have flocked together in this time-honored game of friendly competition. The Florida Classic has become the largest football game between two HBCUs, surpassing the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern and is the top attended game in our division.

However, what I see, that most usually don't think about or care to understand, is there is something that unites us in competition. There is a historical significance to each game we play. Yes, FAMU might be larger, (and better) and the more-known HBCU (did I mention the better,) but what are we if we do not know our history? Yes, to some this is just a football game, a chance to get away for the weekend and eat fried fish and sausages from vendors. But what is under-said, is the fact that before integration was forced, before Darryl Hill played Clemson University in front of 50,000 all-white fans, before we were allowed into that Alabama stadium that had been “no coloreds allowed” for so long, there was “Our Game.” “Our Band.” “Our Tradition.” .

I have always loved football. And music. And food. And well competition. And being in the midst of black people having a good time. Getting along, enjoying each others and showing pride in one another. But even more so, I love that feeling of unity and being in the presence of great history. I love sitting outside FAMU football practices, seeing the old men lean against the fence, talking about how it was in their days, knowing the players by name and their families, telling stories of how they use to pack up and drive for hours, following the team, and cooking so they could feed them when they could. HBCU’s are SO essential to our community. And its time like these, when we recognize another Florida Classic (which in recent years has been aired by ESPN, showing yet another milestone) we celebrate how far we’ve come and remember where we came from.

HBCUs are SO essential to our community. However, there is a rapid decline in enrollment to black schools. Integration has paved the way for so many, however it has had some effects as well. What would the state of education become if our black schools were to suddenly disappear? Why did you choose FAMU as your college of choice and why do you think there is a decline in HBCU enrollment these past few years?

Introduction to FAMU's Social Spot

Welcome to the Social Spot of the #1 HBCU in the nation: THE Florida A&M University. This blog is created for our Public Relations Methods course to promote three fictitious events related to FAMU. We would love to hear your feedback, opinions, and thoughts on our ideas for our events. Our PR Methods course is designed to better our knowledge and understanding in the field of Public Relations as it relates to communication tools PR professionals use to get messages through the media to a target public(s).

We use four different texts books to enhance our knowledge. These books are as follows: Public Relations Writing: Form and Style by Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes (our main textbook), The New Rules of Marketing and PR by David M. Scott, Strategic Writing: Multimedia Writing for PR, Advertising, Sales and Marketing, and Business Communication by Charles Marsh, David W. Guth and Bonnie Poovey Short, Writing PR: A Multimedia Approach by Meta Carstarphen and Richard Wells.


The student media program at Florida A&M is composed of many talented students and I am honored to plan an event, even if it is fictitious showcasing the talent of our students. My name is Jessica McCorkle, I'm a Public Relations major Pre-Law minor at FAMU. I was born and raised in South Florida and I am excited about planning my event to showcase the different forms of student media at FAMU. I want the world to know about the many talents that bring life to FAMU's campus.


Greetings! My name is Ebony Williams and I am a fourth year PR student and elementary education minor on the beautiful campus of Florida A&M University. I am a native of Pembroke Pines, Fla where I attended Flanagan High School. I am currently employed at Miracle Years Childcare Center where I serve as lead teacher in early childhood development. My assigned fictitious event is an Open House for FAMU's New Gym.


My name is Ajonelle Poole. I am a fourth year Public Relations student from the prosperous region of Northern Virginia. My fictitious event is to organize an indoor tailgate party in the host hotel of the 2009 Florida Classic game between FAMU and Bethune- Cookman in Orlando. My event will include musical entertainment by the Marching 100 and local high school bands as well.


What are some things that you would like to see at our events, that you feel will help our turnout rates be a success?