#OnTheGo
Bison pride! The drumline is meeting on Pennsylvania Avenue!
The Howard University Showtime Marching Band will escort fellow HU alum Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris at the 59th presidential inauguration tomorrow Jan. 20.
The Bisons will perform a special drum cadence for the parade. The university is honored to be chosen to represent one of their own.
“It is our esteemed honor to be involved in the historic inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris,” said Howard University President Wayne A. I. Fredrick in a press release.
“Throughout her career, the vice president-elect has carried her Howard education with her, ensuring that she adhere to truth and service and inspiring her to achieve unprecedented levels of excellence,” Fredrick continued.
“It is perfectly fitting that the Showtime Marching Band, the ensemble that captures and reverberates the heartbeat of our institution, should accompany her on this last leg go her journey to the White House.”
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The Bison assemble will include the drumline, Flashy Flag Squad, and Ooh La La dancers in the inauguration parade.
However, the university said they will be using less than one-third of the band for safety.
“We are proud to unite safely as a band to represent Howard University, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, and all HBCUs across the country,” said Kelvin Washington, Howard University’s band director.
Washington has been working on the perfect song for the parade since Harris was selected to join President-elect Joe Biden on the presidential ticket in August 2020.
“It’s a very gracious opportunity for us, and we’re very thankful for it.”
A special place
Like most HBCU graduates, Howard holds a special place in the Vice President-Elect’s heart.
Harris is a 1986 graduate of HU and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Throughout her career, she has credited the historically Black college and university (HBCU) on shaping her into the woman she is today.
“I became an adult at Howard University,” Harris said in a 2019 Washington Post interview. “Howard very directly influenced and reinforced — equally important — my sense of being and meaning and reasons for being.”
When Harris is sworn in office on Wednesday, Jan. 20 she will become our first woman and first woman of color Vice President of the United States.
