Tuskegee, Alabama State featured
CONTRIBUTED BY PHIL SKLAR
ALABAMA —
Earlier this month, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled the first HBCU Bobblehead Series, which features officially licensed bobbleheads of 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The bobbleheads are being produced by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum and are being released in celebration of Black History Month.
The schools included in the first series are Alabama A&M University Bulldogs, Alabama State University Hornets, Delaware State University Hornets, Florida A&M University Rattlers, Fayetteville State University Broncos, Grambling State University Tigers, Howard University Bison, Jackson State University Tigers, Morgan State University Bears, North Carolina A&T State University Aggies, North Carolina Central University Eagles, Norfolk State University Spartans and Tuskegee University Golden Tigers.
Standing on a base bearing the school’s nickname across the front, each mascot bobblehead is proudly wearing the school colors in front of a backing featuring the school logo. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,023, and they are currently only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store.
The bobbleheads are $35 each, plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order. The Grambling State, Alabama State, Delaware State and Howard Bobbleheads are scheduled to arrive in April, while the other schools’ bobbleheads are scheduled to ship in June. Each school receives a percentage of the sales generated from their bobblehead.
Primarily located in the South and founded during the Reconstruction era, there are more than 100 colleges in the United States that are identified by the U.S. Department of Education as Historically Black Colleges and Universities. HBCUs were originally established in the 19th century to make quality, accredited higher education available to Black Americans. Due to slavery, segregation and systemic racism, traditionally white institutions denied Black Americans admission. The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines HBCUs as accredited higher education institutions established before 1964 whose “principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans.” In the past, these institutions admitted only Black students. Today, HBCUs admit learners of all races. Among the prominent graduates of HBCUs are civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., United States Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and United States Vice President Kamala Harris.
“We’re excited to release this long-overdue collection of HBCU bobbleheads,” said National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum Co-founder and CEO Phil Sklar. “We know these bobbleheads, which celebrate the rich history of these 13 amazing institutions, will be very popular with the alumni, students, faculty, staff, fans and communities.”
ABOUT THE NATIONAL BOBBLEHEAD HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on Feb. 1, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high-quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale, as well as organizations, individuals and teams across the country. Visit online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
