There is nothing on the planet fairly like an HBCU homecoming.
The thrilling tailgates with crimson Solo cups and good eats in abundance, the can’t miss halftime show (higher identified as the fifth quarter), the feel-good brunches, the lit events, the impromptu Swag Surfin’ that can occur anywhere the temper hits, the energetic Divine 9 step exhibits, the multigenerational magnificence of alumni chopping it up with present college students, the hugs that guarantee you although life is life-ing, everything is going to be alright. Oh…and the soccer sport. The ambiance is equally empowering and religious because in between all the joyous celebrations, we are reminded of the brilliance and tenacity of our courageous, visionary ancestors who constructed HBCUs more than a century in the past. The satisfaction is palpable.
In honor of this joyous and celebratory time for our tradition, we’re honoring those {couples} who graduated from HBCUs, sometimes even on the same campus, and are now residing their best lives collectively. Our Love on the Yard collection is an intentional and obligatory highlight on Black love, Black excellence and Black pleasure!
Graduation day for Jacobi and Ashley is proper by his aspect. (Photo courtesy of topics)
COUPLE: Jacobi Jones + Ashley Deadwyler-Jones
COLLEGE ATTENDED: Spelman College + Morehouse College
MAJORS: Jacobi: Accounting + Ashley: Psychology
CLASS OF: Jacobi, 2000 + Ashley, 1998
SpelHouse couple Ashley + Jacobi are inseparable! (Photo courtesy of topics)
PROFESSIONS: Jacobi: Home Builder + Insurance Agency Owner
Ashley: Real Estate Investor, Model + Insurance Agency Owner
YEAR THEY BECAME A COUPLE: 2001
Beach bliss! (Photo courtesy of topics)
THE MAKINGS OF A ‘SPELHOUSE’ LOVE STORY:
Ashley: We were 17 years outdated and met late one night during the spring of 1994 on South Street (in Philadelphia). This was the “place to be” at the time. Jacobi and I were passing one another, caught each other’s eye, smiled, and stored strolling. My best good friend Calida, secretly waved Jacobi and his good friend back to us. He tapped me on my shoulder and smiled. We made small speak and exchanged numbers. We began courting on and off, but we turned inseparable in 2001.
Our HBCU love story wouldn’t be full if I didn’t share that Jacobi determined to attend Morehouse because I was across the avenue at Spelman. Jacobi was an All-American 110 Hurdler and had a lot of Division 1 choices, but he determined to go to Morehouse to chase the lady he met on South Street in Philly. His father wasn’t excited that his son turned down a scholarship at South Carolina, but Jacobi has no hesitation sharing that attending Morehouse was the best choice of his life. Our story reminds me of Shaquille and Deborah in A Different World Reloaded and or Tre and Brandi in Boyz n the Hood. No matter how far aside, we always discovered our approach to each other.
Just Married. (Photo courtesy of topics)
DECADES LATER, HERE’S WHAT THEY LOVE MOST ABOUT ONE ANOTHER:
Jacobi: I love that Ashley is nurturing and tender. I particularly love how passionate she is about our household. Family is precedence. She is always checking the packing containers to make sure we are positioned for success every day and I love that about her.
Ashley: I love heaps of issues about Jacobi, but I don’t know what I would do without his adventurous spirit. He never settles. He always needs to check the limits and search more out of life and make each minute rely. There is never a boring second with him. He’s also a very devoted husband and father who believes in The Most High.
Love on the Yard: SpelHouse Style. (Photo courtesy of topics)
ATTENDING HOMECOMING IS A FAMILY TRADITION:
Both: Weather allowing, we love attending SpelHouse Homecomings collectively. There is a sense of nostalgia, good food, good music, fashion and reconnecting with mates that really feel more like household. It’s a place where titles don’t matter and love is actual. Our classmates bear in mind each other when we had nothing. Returning to campus becomes the common denominator for all of us. Homecoming is a “safe space” where we come collectively and rejoice life in the same carefree method that we did as college students. This 2026 SpelHouse Homecoming will be tremendous particular because our oldest (Jacobi Jones II) is a senior at Morehouse and our youngest (Joshua Jones) will be a vendor, promoting his common clothes line, Solana.
Tailgating enjoyable! (Photo courtesy of topics)
BUILDING A LIFE AND LEGACY WITH AN HBCU GRAD:
Ashley: As HBCU grads, we worth the significance of schooling in an setting that is not always excellent but builds character and prepares us for a world that will attempt to put us in a box. We need the HBCU expertise for our youngsters and for their youngsters and youngsters’s youngsters. Our HBCUs have empowered us as people, but as a couple, we really feel unstoppable.
Love + Legacy: Ashley + Jacobi with their sons. (Photo courtesy of topics)
Jacobi: I recall a class at Morehouse, where professor Dr. Vest would enter the classroom carrying a boxing gown. While coming into the classroom, Dr. Vest chanted the “The Champ is Here!, The Champ is Here!”. Dr. Vest instructed the college students that they would not be “Champs” until they were educated, could present and discover a good spouse. Dr. Vest was a function model for all the males in the classroom. It was everyone’s aim to be a “Champ”, like Dr. Vest. Graduating Morehouse Magna Cum Laude, building profitable companies, beginning a household, and celebrating 25 years of marriage, I would like to inform Dr. Vest that I finally am a Champ!
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