# @hbcubuzz on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Dc3h4aPlNUI
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/69959607-hbcubuzz-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/fe65c7b360.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-09-04T13:48:17.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** HBCU Buzz (@hbcubuzz) — https://gondola.cc/hbcubuzz

## Caption

🎾 Here's why HBCU Live means more than a halftime show this year. It starts with the person behind it — Sean Holcomb-Jones (seanholcombjones), a former Morgan State head tennis coach turned USTA Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, who's been fighting to open tennis up since 2021.⁠
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That's reason one: it's built by someone who actually lived the exclusion he's undoing. Reason two, it's tied to real structural change, not just a performance — Holcomb-Jones helped forge the USTA's official partnership with the American Tennis Association, the oldest Black athletic organization in the country. Reason three, the history runs deep. HBCU Live traces back to honoring Althea Gibson, the woman who broke tennis's color barrier, so it's a direct answer to a sport that's historically shut Black communities out.⁠
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And on the ground, it actually feels like that history. Marching bands and step performances take over Arthur Ashe Stadium — Morgan State's Magnificent Marching Machine (morganstatebands) brought that same energy that's carried them through NFL games, the Rose Parade, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with President David K. Wilson opening the tournament on the ceremonial coin toss. Taylor Townsend even matched the moment, stepping onto court in a navy-and-orange sequin "drumline fit" that echoed Morgan State's colors after catching the band perform live.⁠
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USTA leadership says fans aren't stumbling into HBCU Live anymore, they're planning their whole trip around it. That's the last reason: it's putting HBCU culture in front of an audience tennis rarely reaches, and it's not fading out. ⁠
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#HBCULive #USOpen #MorganState #HBCU #USTA

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 2,154
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- **Comments:** 32

## Tags

hbcu, hbculive, usopen, morganstate, usta

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