DNC comes to HBCUs this homecoming season in an effort to earn back trust of Black voters

Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin tells theGrio, “We’re showing up where it matters to Black voters, not just in presidential years.”

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is taking its party message to HBCU campuses this homecoming season in an effort to engage young Black voters, whose support for the Democratic Party waned in the 2024 election.

The DNC confirmed with theGrio that throughout October, several activations will be held at the campuses of Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Cheney University, and Lincoln University. The five-figure investments of HBCU engagements are intended to reach students, parents, and alumni.

Why DNC is focused on HBCU campuses

“Homecoming is about culture, community, and credibility, so our presence at these events is absolutely critical. But it’s not just political, it’s personal for all those students, the family that comes out,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin told theGrio about the upcoming HBCU campus activations.

While Black voters overwhelmingly supported 2024 Democratic nominee Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in last year’s election, turnout among Black voters was lower than during the 2020 presidential election. More notably, a higher percentage of younger, mostly male, Black voters, drifted toward the Republican Party.

“We’re showing up where it matters to Black voters, not just in presidential years,” said Martin, a former chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, who was elected DNC chair in February.

He explained, “When I came in as DNC chair, I said we cannot make the same mistakes we’ve made in the past of just showing up three months before an election and starting the conversation for the very first time. And that’s part of the reason we’ve lost trust with so many parts of our coalition, including the Black community.”

The DNC plans to execute a range of activations this HBCU homecoming season, including handing out “Commit to Vote (CTV)” cards, “Get out the Vote (GOTV)” volunteer sign-up forms, DNC-branded charging stations, “We Stand With HBCUs” paraphernalia, and photo booths. DNC officials and surrogates will also canvass along homecoming parade routes, tailgates, and block parties.

In Virginia, a purple state, DNC activations at Hampton, Norfolk, and Virginia State also coincide with early voting on Oct. 25 in the state, which will elect its next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, Virginia House of Delegates and local offices.

Martin said that as the “most reliable constituency” and “truly the backbone” of the Democratic Party, Democrats can’t take their votes for granted.

The DNC chair said in conversations he’s had with voters since taking his leadership position, many, particularly in the Black community, “feel like they go unseen and unheard…and that the only time they see from people like me is when I need something from them.”

“That’s got to change,” he said.

Martin said young Black voters, like all Americans, are concerned about affordability.

“Young people right now are very nervous about their future. It’s the first time we’ve seen in, you know, over a generation that there are more job seekers than jobs,” he explained.

“When you add on top of that what’s been happening in this economy that is driving up the costs of everything from housing, to groceries, to child care, you name it. It is creating a lot of anxiety amongst all people, but especially young people who can’t afford their lives right now,” said Martin.

Acknowledging the particular importance of focusing on the needs of young Black men, the DNC chairman told theGrio, “We gotta give people a sense that the Democratic Party believes, as I do, that no matter where you’re from, no matter where you live, no matter who you love or who you are, that you deserve a chance and an opportunity to get ahead.”

HBCUs as political targets

The DNC’s focus on HBCUs also comes weeks after several campuses faced threats following the Charlie Kirk shooting, resulting in temporary lockdowns. Last week, a group of white MAGA students who described themselves as the “Fearless Debaters” came to the HBCU campus of Tennessee State University uninvited to debate students on the topics of DEI and immigration. The incident was seen as harassment of HBCU students.

“It underscores the need for us as a party right now, and I think, frankly, as a community to be showing up in person, not just to have those conversations, but to be there in solidarity because those threats were ridiculous,” Chairman Martin told theGrio.

When asked if he believed the MAGA agenda of President Donald Trump was to blame for the targeting of HBCUs, Martin told theGrio the Trump White House’s “inflammatory” speech is “certainly not helpful.” He added, “But it’s not even just the speech, it’s the actions that are very clearly taking away people’s rights in this country—the rights of due process and civil rights and human rights. We’ve seen a full-on assault on our Constitution.”

Martin continued, “The rhetoric and the statements and the actions coming out of this White House and the administration have done nothing to actually bring us together as Americans, but only continue to divide us and to continue to allow the hate that we’ve seen throughout this country.”

HBCU funding

HBCUs were also in the headlines recently after the Trump administration cut $350 million in grants from minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including predominantly Black institutions (PBIs), and redirected nearly $500 million in federal funding toward HBCUs and tribal colleges.

While the added funding for HBCUs was a good thing for campuses, the move was criticized by some as pitting HBCU campuses against others.

Chairman Martin described President Trump’s latest funding announcement for HBCUs as “throwing scraps to one group to try to buy them off.”

“Donald Trump has made a lot of promises to Black voters. He’s made a lot of promises to voters around this country, and he’s delivered on almost none of them,” said the Democratic leader. He continued, “While he may decide to help HBCUs with funding, the reality is he’s selling the rest of the Black community down the river.”

Martin said Democrats are going to continue to “call him out,” adding, “At a time when so many people are struggling to get by in this country, he continues to play games like this.”