Despite controversy, Talladega College band sees opportunity in Trump inaugural parade
Devon Julian has never been to Washington, D.C.
Neither has Manassas Sanks, nor Shylexis Robinson. Yet these three members of Talladega College's Marching Tornadoes Band plan to be in the nation's capital next Friday with 250 of their classmates in the 58th Inaugural Parade for President-Elect Donald Trump.
And though they have heard voices on and off campus against making the trip, they say it's an opportunity to project their school on a national stage, and they intend to make the most of it.
On Jan. 5, Talladega College President Billy Hawkins confirmed that members of the band would march in the parade after it was invited. Hawkins said the band applied before the election, receiving letters of support from Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions as well as Congressman Mike Rogers.
But that didn't stop some alumni and others from calling for the band to decline the invitation, noting that it is the only historically black college in the nation to take part in the parade. For some, participation smacks of an endorsement for a candidate overwhelmingly rejected by black voters and seen as hostile to civil rights issues.
The reaction has been featured in national and international media for weeks and a hot topic on social media. Robinson, 19, for example, said she has lost count of how many times she has been interviewed since the controversy started.
Earlier this month, the school stated that its administration "did not rush to accept the invitation to participate, because they wanted to hear and consider the thoughts and feelings of the Talladega College community."
And the band has been largely successful in raising money for the trip. A GoFundMe account has been set up to help cover the expenses of attending. As of Friday, the account had raised more than $300,000, far above the original $75,000 goal. Conservative columnist and media personality Armstrong Williams has offered to pay all costs.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hawkins held a closed door meeting with members of the band. He emerged saying the band members are totally committed to making the trip.
"We didn't get into this for any political reasons," Hawkins said. "We think this will be a phenomenal experience for our students. They get a chance to perform in front of the whole world, on an international stage."
Talking to the members individually, one hears similar views. In a sense, they see the parade as the culmination of a lot of hard work.
Julian, 21, is a senior drum major. The New Orleans native got into the band, he said, because of his love of music. As a child, he was nurtured on tales of family members in jazz and schooled in the drums. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, his family relocated to Texas where he learned to play the trumpet, he said.
He was one of the first members when Talladega College started its band program in 2012, which now is the largest student organization on campus. Like other members, he is familiar with the wall in the band director's office showing the 50 plus graduates of the band program, some of whom have returned as assistant directors.
As Hawkins observed, Talladega College doesn't have a football team. Parades are a performance outlet for the band.
It's a proud program at one of the nation's oldest historically black colleges, and Julian said he is proud to be in it.
"We sometimes think of ourselves as the underdog of bands, because we've only be around for a few years," he said. "I feel like we're making history here. Even when I'm dead and in the grave, there will still be a Talladega College band."
Sanks, 19, is a sophomore tenor drum section leader. Like Julian, his love of music attracted him to band. He also likes to travel, so the trip to Washington is the "best of both worlds," he said.
Sanks said his mother has told him to enjoy the experience of going to Washington. Julian said much the same thing, that family members are mindful of the criticism but excited about his opportunity. In fact, he says he hasn't heard any criticism from any fellow students, either in the band or outside.
Robinson, a sophomore clarinet player from Atlanta, said her mother wants her to go. Music has always been a stress reliever, which is why Robinson said she got into band in the first place.
"We don't normally get to go to events like this," she said.
The trip is also popular with students outside the band, Julian said. Some classmates are organizing a bus to accompany the band in a show of support.
"Everybody here is pretty much on the same page," he said. "We like to look at each other as a family, and we stick behind each other, no matter what the decision is."
For school officials, 2017 promises to be an exciting year at Talladega College. In a few weeks, the administration expects to break ground on a new dormitory, a new student center, and announce plans for a museum for the school's historic Amistad murals, painted to remember the mutiny on board a slave ship in the 1800s. That's $16 million in new construction on a campus that is almost 150 years old.
But at the same, Hawkins said, he and his family have received "very cruel" threats because of the inaugural controversy. He said he understands the criticism the band and the school have received for participating in the parade.
"I get that folks are upset," he said. "I feel for those who feel the way they do. But I feel for our students. They want to go. I feel I have to be responsible to the student body. It's about this band wanting to be part of this event.
"We are representing the state of Alabama. It's not about politics. It's about the experience. It's about a peaceful transition of power. We're confident we made the right decision. God did not put us in this position just to leave us at this point."
