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I attended North Carolina A&T State University’s Homecoming for the first time when I was three years old. I was in the homecoming parade with my older brother representing A&T’s Childhood Development Lab, our preschool. I had never seen so many people at one time. It was the homecoming that hooked me, and I fell in love with being around all the people and tailgates and listening to the marching band. My mother was a professor at the University at the time, and my father graduated from A&T. My parents always talked about the benefits of going to college and encouraged us to attend an HBCU.
As a teacher on the first day of school, I had a student ask me what an HBCU was after I had introduced myself and shared where I attended college. I was surprised that this student had not heard of the acronym before. That was the moment I knew that the book I had been putting off writing couldn’t wait anymore. Children needed to learn about HBCUs at an early age and discuss college; thus, Homecoming was born to help families, educators, mentors, and friends talk about college with the young people in their lives.
I am a self-published author and learning about this industry for the first time was challenging. As a mother and part-time adjunct professor, talking about college with my children was natural, but I understand that that may not be the case for all families. In 2019, there are still young people who are the first to attend college in their families, and I’m hoping that Homecoming helps continue to encourage children to go to college and attend an HBCU. There’s nothing like an HBCU homecoming, and my book helps children learn what homecoming is all about! I truly believe that HBCUs are needed today more than ever and that we should all work to preserve them.
La-Donia Alford-Jefferies is a 2010 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and a native to Greensboro, NC. With her mom as a former professor and her dad an alumnus of the university, La-Donia was destined to become an Aggie. As an adjunct professor at the university, La-Donia is truly Aggie born, Aggie bred. Her husband, Michael and two daughters inspired her to write a book about their homecoming experiences as a family.
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La-Donia Alford-Jefferies | J’aaron Merchant | Homecomingpride, 2019 | Ages 4 and up | Pre-K and up
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