HBCUs Compete for Over $500,000 and National Championship Title at 37th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge

Teams from 32 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have earned spots in the National Championship Tournament of the 37th Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), America's premier academic competition for HBCUs. Top scholars will compete next month for the HCASC championship and a $100,000 grand prize, part of more than $500,000 in institutional grants Honda will award to participating HBCUs this year.

The "Thrilling 32" HBCU teams excelled in February's national qualifying tournaments and now advance to the 2026 HCASC National Championship Tournament, held near the regional corporate headquarters of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. in Torrance. The final games will be streamed on Thursday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m. PDT: https://www.youtube.com/hcascnct. 

"Honda Campus All-Star Challenge has served as a national stage for HBCU scholars for nearly 40 years, providing scholarships, opportunities and experiences that inspire students to grow and become the next generation of leaders," said Jasmine Cockfield, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge project lead at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "Honda is committed to driving the legacy of HBCUs by connecting generations of current students, alumni and HCASC supporters through a shared passion for learning and the bonds it creates."

Since its launch in 1989, Honda Campus All-Star Challenge has supported over 180,000 HBCU students in achieving their dreams. Each year, Honda awards institutional grants that help participating HBCUs fund scholarships, student development initiatives and facility enhancements.

A Legacy of Academic Excellence, Culture and Community

Now in its 37th season, the year-round Honda Campus All-Star Challenge encourages students to expand their knowledge across diverse subjects while building their leadership and teamwork skills. The program continues a proud HBCU legacy of celebrating academic achievement and culture. Beyond the competition, HCASC has evolved into a multigenerational community that fosters belonging, confidence, mentorship, and school pride.

During HCASC gameplay, teams of four students compete in an exhilarating head-to-head showdown, rapidly answering questions on topics that include African American literature and history, current affairs, economics, fine arts, geography, government, pop culture, science, and more.

Competing against peers from other HBCUs provides students opportunities to network, receive mentorship from HCASC alumni and Honda associates, and create "Friends for Life." Honda also offers development seminars and career-focused programming to help students succeed after graduation.

The "Thrilling 32" HBCUs Competing for the HCASC Championship Title

Teams from the following HBCUs are gearing up to compete in the 2026 HCASC National Championship Tournament in Torrance, California:

Alabama A&M University
Alabama State University
Albany State University
Benedict College
Clark Atlanta University
Dillard University
Fisk University
Florida A&M University
Fort Valley State University
Hampton University
Howard University
Kentucky State University
Langston University
Lincoln University-Pennsylvania
Livingstone College
Mississippi Valley State University
Morehouse College
Norfolk State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Central University
Oakwood University
Paul Quinn College
Prairie View A&M University
Southern University - Baton Rouge
Spelman College
Stillman College
Tennessee State University
Tuskegee University
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of the District of Columbia
Virginia State University
Winston-Salem State University

Fast Facts

• Recent HCASC national champions include Hampton University (2025), Oakwood University (2024) and Stillman College (2023).
  
  
• Only one school (Morehouse College) has qualified for all 37 HCASC National Championship Tournaments.
  
  
• The HCASC game format consists of three face-off rounds with bonus questions, and the fast-paced Ultimate Challenge round, where any team can make an exciting comeback to win.
  
  
• Students dedicate hundreds of hours studying topics ranging from history and science to geography and pop culture.
  
  
• More than 90% of student participants say HCASC has helped them build "Friends for Life."
  
  
• 89 HBCUs are eligible to participate in HCASC, representing 20 states and the District of Columbia.
  
  
• HCASC alumni are making their mark worldwide, excelling in science, engineering, medicine, media, aeronautics, education, industry, and government fields.

Follow the journeys of the "Thrilling 32" HBCU teams to the HCASC National Championship on the HCASC Facebook, Instagram, Threads and TikTok. HBCUs interested in the HCASC program can email hcascstaff@hcasc.com for more information.

About Honda and Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Honda has supported the success and dreams of Historically Black College and University (HBCU) students for over 35 years, through programs such as the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge and Honda Battle of the Bands. These initiatives have impacted the lives of more than 350,000 students and provided over $16 million in grants toward HBCU education programs and facilities improvements.

Through its "Drive the Legacy" initiative, Honda partners with HBCUs and organizations such as the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, National Urban League, and local UNCF chapters, to offer development opportunities to HBCU students and recruit top talent for its future workforce. Honda also supports initiatives of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus to bring together government, industry and HBCUs to create strategic, more sustainable HBCU partnerships.

Notice: Although the information included in this press release is accurate as of the date of publication, this information is subject to change at any time without notice. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. assumes no responsibility for updating this information.

SOURCE American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

Alabama State University names residence hall for Civil Rights leader Jo Ann Robinson Hall

Civil rights pioneer Jo Ann Robinson, who played an instrumental role in the historic 13-month Montgomery Bus Boycott in the mid-1950s, had a residence hall named after her at a ceremony on Alabama State University's campus.

In 2020, ASU removed the name of Bibb Graves from ASU’s oldest residence hall, and on September 17, 2021, the ASU Board of Trustees, upon the recommendation of President Quinton T. Ross, Jr., voted unanimously to rename the building.

Ross noted that several names were submitted, but the name of Jo Ann Robinson continued to rise to the top. “Professor Robinson was one of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement, but today we are here to sing her praises and to let the world know that Jo Ann Robinson’s name deserves to be honored along with the other icons with which we are all familiar, many of whom, like Professor Robinson, held significant ties to this great University.”

Jo Ann Robinson was a professor of English at Alabama State University during the 1950s. She became an impactful civic leader in Montgomery, particularly as a member and later as president of the Women’s Political Council (WPC), an organization that fought for voting and women’s rights.

Robinson became a key figure in launching and executing the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955, after the arrest of Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus, Robinson—along with John Cannon, chairman of the Alabama State College business department and a few of Robinson’s students—created and mimeographed 35,000 leaflets that were distributed throughout the Montgomery community to alert residents to boycott the city’s transportation system.

The success of the protests led to the establishment of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), an organization to organize further civil rights protests. She became an Executive Board Member of the MIA and set on the MIA Negotiation Team with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they attempted to end the boycott through discussions with the city of Montgomery and the National City Lines. The MIA was an organization to organize further civil rights protests.

The successful yearlong boycott led to the desegregation of Montgomery city buses and became a foundational event in the modern Civil Rights Movement.

HBCU, Alabama State University renames hall named after KKK leader

A historically black university in Alabama has renamed a dormitory that honored a one-time governor who also led a Ku Klux Klan chapter nearly a century ago.

Workers at Alabama State University removed the name “Bibb Graves” from a residence hall on Wednesday. The building had carried Graves' name since 1928, when he served as the head of a state government that constitutionally mandated white supremacy.

Alabama State President Quinton T. Ross Jr. said the idea of replacing the building's name had been discussed at least as far back as when he was a student at the school, located a few miles from the Alabama Capitol.

“Many of our alumni have asked for this to happen," he said in a statement.

Alabama State trustees voted to rename the building earlier this year during the national discussion generated by the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The school has yet to decide on a new name for the residence hall.

[SOURCE: ABC NEWS]