First Person: 17th Annual Atlanta HBCU Alumni Alliance 5K Run/Walk – On Common Ground News

By Taylor Duncan

Rockdale County Resident

ATLANTA—Last Saturday, I participated in the 17th annual Atlanta Historically Black Colleges and Universities Alumni Alliance 5K Run.

It was incredible to see over 1,000 alumni come together for two important causes: raising funds to support students currently attending an HBCU and promoting wellness and healthy living.

The walk/run began and ended in a friendly atmosphere at Piedmont Park with over 15 schools represented.

There was a sense of pride and community among all of us. FAMU received the most support and came in first place for the most scholarship donations for students. Each school’s tent was filled with alumni sharing stories, taking pictures, and connecting for future business.

It was great to see representatives from Divine 9 in attendance. Divine 9 is the nickname for a group of HBCU Greek sororities and fraternities that have been around since the early 1900s and have made significant contributions to Black American culture, public service, and scholarship: Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity Inc.; Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority;Inc.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity; Inc.; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.: Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.; And Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

There were also vendors like Caresourse and several nonprofits that provided wellness information, as well as Black authors selling their books. Additionally, Home Depot and local business owners were also in attendance.

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