Strewn across the coastal plains and backroads of North Carolina lie institutions that could be pivotal in the battleground state in Tuesday's elections - 10 historically Black colleges and universities steeped in a history of activism.
Now, local student government associations and other organizations at these schools have mobilized in a full-on effort to galvanize a nearly 40,000-student voting bloc. They're doing so as an HBCU graduate - Vice President Kamala Harris - is running for president.
In the leadup to Election Day on Tuesday, the North Carolina Black Alliance has been working with each HBCU, and one predominately Black institution in the state, to mobilize and transport students to the polls throughout the early voting season.
The Votecoming tour is a play on HBCU homecoming season, a sacred tradition at the schools. The hope is to inform students of who and what is on the ballot from top to bottom and get students to vote early so they can avoid any voter ID or registration problems, said Gabrielle Martin, the alliance's campus coordinator.
The effort is non-partisan. But there's no question that the presidential candidacy of Harris, an HBCU graduate herself from Howard University is driving excitement.
