The African American College Alliance: A Legacy of Culture, Pride, and Education
The African American College Alliance (AACA) stands as a testament to the rich history and cultural significance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). From its inception, the AACA has served as a symbol of unity, cultural pride, and the importance of higher education within the African American community.
The Genesis of AACA: Addressing a Void
The story of AACA begins in the Fall of 1990/early 1991, born from a need and a perceived oversight. Chris Latimer recalls a time when the Starter clothing line was popular, prominently featuring logos of major NCAA schools, predominantly white institutions (PWIs). A store called Snyder’s on Georgia Avenue in Washington, D.C., near Howard University, was a popular sneaker destination. Some Howard University students noticed the store's wall displayed predominantly White institution schools and not one Black college. They questioned the manager about this discrepancy, leading the owner, Mark Van Grack, to acquire licenses for Howard University apparel.
Van Grack, recognizing the potential, sought to create a unique brand identity. He developed the "positive patch," the African American College Alliance trademark. The apparel quickly gained popularity, not just among students but also in the wider community.
Filling a Niche: Recognizing an Opportunity
While other lines like Champion and Rydell produced apparel for university bookstores, they missed the connection with the Black community. AACA recognized this opportunity, understanding the appeal of HBCU-branded apparel to a broader audience.
Launching the Brand: A Serendipitous Connection
In December 1991/January 1992, Mark Van Grack sent some apparel to Classic Concepts, Ralph McDaniels and Lionel Martin's video production company (creators of Video Music Box). The apparel wasn't used. However, Latimer's girlfriend, who worked at Classic Concepts, brought some of the product home to him. Latimer, a party promoter, saw the potential of the AACA movement.
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The next day, Van Grack contacted Latimer's girlfriend, seeking help with marketing and promoting the product.
Building a Brand Through Relationships
Latimer met with Van Grack in February 1992, proposing to promote the brand and get it into videos. He leveraged his connections within the music industry, built on relationships with Classic Concepts, Ralph McDaniels, and Lionel Martin. Latimer understood that everything hot came through Classic Concepts. He focused on getting the product placed in videos.
Latimer also focused on making himself known in the music industry. He visited popular hangouts and restaurants, picking up the tabs of managers and artists, introducing himself later and emphasizing the promotion of Black Colleges. He dressed artists like Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, and Heavy D.
The Rise of AACA: Embraced by Hip Hop Culture
The AACA line was made popular in the 1990s by hip hop and R&B singers, including Will Smith, Russell Simmons and Yonkers native Mary J. Blige. The clothing highlights HBCUs, and features schools' logos and colors. The sportswear line includes tops, hoodies, sweatsuits and hats. The most high-profile placement was LL Cool J wearing a Florida A&M hoodie while performing at the White House.
Before Phat Farm, FUBU, Rocawear or any of the other iconic urban fashion wear brands, there was an iconic mark that was embraced by the Hip-Hop world, with a sense of cultural pride. The black “positive patch” of the African American College Alliance, with its distinctive gold embroidering, united Historically Black Colleges and allowed them to transcend regions to become national symbols of excellence. The AACA patch adorned sweatshirts, hats and other apparel that prominently featured the logos of venerable universities like Howard, Morehouse, Grambling, Malcolm X, Jackson State and so many others.
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The pairing of the AACA brand with the world’s culture creators was no accident. The strategy was the product of the hard work, imagination and brute force of a young Howard University alum, Chris Latimer, who was the liaison between the company and the entertainment world. He grew the company from $600,000 in revenue to $6,000,000 in his first 6 months and, in the next few years, turned it into one of the most powerful brands in fashion. For every dollar that he generated for the company, roughly 10% went back to the universities whose trademarks were being represented.
Snoop Dogg was a notable supporter of the brand, wearing it frequently. Biggie also embraced the brand. Will Smith wore a Howard University Hoodie on "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air".
Latimer also strategically placed the brand on the Def Comedy Jam. He dressed Kid Capri and Martin Lawrence, leading to increased visibility and demand for the clothing. Russell Simmons, the Executive Producer of Def Comedy Jam, also started wearing the brand.
In 1992 sales of the distinctive brand, including its top seller, a heavyweight sweatsuit, went from 600,000 units to six million sold in six months.
The Temporary Decline and the Road to Revival
At the height of the company’s popularity, due to circumstances beyond Latimer’s control, AACA went out of business. Now, nearly 20 years later, he is returning to take the reins of the company himself, and re-launch the brand that inspired millions. At a time when violence in communities like Chicago is surging, the nation’s first African-American president is under siege, and it actually has to be asserted that Black Lives Matter, the need for a brand with such cultural significance has never been greater.
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With some help from family and famous friends like LL Cool J, White Plains native Chris Latimer is in business for the rebirth of African American College Alliance (AACA) designs.Latimer is the brainchild behind an apparel brand celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), which is in production after exceeding its $100,000 Kickstarter campaign goal. Latimer received pledges from 734 backers totaling $108, 273.“‘I was really blown away because $60,000 of our goal came in the last six days,” he says. Some high-profile backers of the crowdsourcing campaign included rapper and actor LL Cool J, who pledged $15,000, and Daymond John of the “Shark Tank” television series and on-air personality Charlamagne, who each pledged $5,000. “The thing that hit home with me was how much family, friends and HBCU alumni helped us reach our goal,” says Latimer.
Diehard fans may have recognized the signature black hoodie on character Charlamagne in the season finale of hit television series “Empire.”“The great thing about the brand - it was very positive and fun,” says Latimer. “We feel 25 years later that whole momentum has re-surfaced with the kids.”
His Kickstarter goal was $100,000 to re-launch the ACAA brand and hopes to sell tops, bottoms, hoodies, sweatsuits and hats online and in retail stores this summer. On Apr. 12 "Shark Tank" host Daymond John pledged $5000 to the campaign. He's halfway to his goal."Hopefully my people from 914 can give me the same opportunity by supporting the brand through our Kickstarter campaign," he says. The African American College Alliance (AACA Clothing) is a brand lauded for its self-starting youth movement, developed in 1991. AACA Clothing was initially launched during a time when hip-hop was defined by its cultural impact. With the help of legendary hip hop artists such as Tupac Shakur, Notorious B.I.G., N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J. Their famous hoodies are branded with the logos of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including Howard University, North Carolina A&T, Grambling State and Malcolm X College. The brand advertises itself as a way to provide awareness for these prestigious institutions. African American College Alliance Clothing is re-launching the brand through a Kickstarter campaign. The campaign, which is available now for pledges from supporters will offer ultra-contemporary gear including the classic AACA hoodies, hats, and AACA sweat suits. The sweat suits will be available for the first time in 20 years. The brand plans to take the profits from this campaign and acquire Historical Black College licenses, manufacture new product and to prepare the brand for this falls back to school season. Through this Kickstarter, AACA Clothing hopes to hit the $100,000 mark.
The Enduring Legacy and Purpose
White Plains native Chris Latimer wants to talk education.“I think there’s a need right now to put the focus on higher education and make it cool again,” he says.To that end, Latimer is bringing back a 1990s brand that not only celebrated the burgeoning hip hop culture of the times, but helped increase awareness of the country's historical black colleges and universities (HBCU), an awareness, Latimer says, that helped dramatically increase the number of African-American students attending college.
The African American College Alliance (AACA) represents more than just a clothing brand; it embodies a movement that celebrates Black culture, promotes higher education, and fosters a sense of pride and unity within the African American community. Its resurgence signifies a renewed commitment to these values in a world that still needs them.
HBCUs: A Foundation of Education and Empowerment
To fully appreciate the significance of the AACA, it's crucial to understand the historical context and purpose of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Historical Context of HBCUs
During the Reconstruction era, most historically Black colleges were founded by Protestant religious organizations. Congress' passage of the Second Morrill Act, which required segregated Southern states to provide African Americans with public higher education schools in order to receive the Act's benefits. HBCUs were controversial in their early years. At the 1847 National Convention of Colored People and Their Friends, the famed Black orators Frederick Douglass, Henry Highland Garnet, and Alexander Crummell debated the need for such institutions, with Crummell arguing that HBCUs were necessary to provide freedom from discrimination, and Douglass and Garnet arguing that self-segregation would harm the black community.
Most HBCUs were established in the South after the American Civil War, often with the assistance of religious missionary organizations based in the North, especially the American Missionary Association. Atlanta University - now Clark Atlanta University - was founded on September 19, 1865, as the first HBCU in the Southern United States. Atlanta University was the first graduate institution (sometimes shortened to grad school)[27] to award degrees to African Americans in the nation and the first to award bachelor's degrees to African Americans in the South; Clark College (1869) was the nation's first four-year liberal arts college to serve African-American students. The two consolidated in 1988 to form Clark Atlanta University.[28] Shaw University, founded December 1, 1865, was the second HBCU to be established in the South.
In 1862,[31] the federal government's Morrill Act provided for land grant colleges in each state. Educational institutions established under the Morrill Act in the North and West were open to Black Americans. But 17 states, almost all in the South, required their post-Civil war systems to be segregated and excluded Black students from their land grant colleges. In the 1870s, Mississippi, Virginia, and South Carolina each assigned one African American college land-grant status: Alcorn University, Hampton Institute, and Claflin University, respectively.[32] In response, Congress passed the second Morrill Act of 1890, also known as the Agricultural College Act of 1890, requiring states to establish a separate land grant college for Black students if they were being excluded from the existing land grant college.
The Role and Impact of HBCUs
HBCUs have played a vital role in educating Black Americans and providing opportunities that were often denied to them elsewhere. They have fostered a sense of community, cultural identity, and empowerment, producing leaders in various fields.
In the 1920s and 1930s, historically Black colleges developed a strong interest in athletics. Sports were expanding rapidly at state universities, but very few Black stars were recruited there. Race newspapers hailed athletic success as a demonstration of racial progress. As a result of these phenomena, more than two-thirds of the faculty hired at many HBCUs from 1933 to 1945 had come to the United States to escape from Nazi Germany.[41] HBCUs believed the Jewish professors were valuable faculty that would help strengthen their institutions' credibility.[42] HBCUs had a firm belief in diversity and giving opportunity no matter the race, religion, or country of origin.[43] HBCUs were open to Jews because of their ideas of equal learning spaces. HBCUs made substantial contributions to the US war effort.
After the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954, the legislature of Florida, with support from various counties, opened eleven junior colleges serving the African American population. Their purpose was to show that separate but equal education was working in Florida. Prior to this, there had been only one junior college in Florida serving African Americans, Booker T. Washington Junior College, in Pensacola, founded in 1949. The new junior colleges began as extensions of Black high schools. They used the same facilities and often the same faculty. Some built their own buildings after a few years. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandated an end to school segregation, the colleges were all abruptly closed.
Challenges and Evolution of HBCUs
HBCUs face ongoing challenges, including funding disparities and competition with predominantly White institutions for high-achieving Black students. Despite these challenges, they continue to adapt and evolve, offering online education programs and forming alliances to pool resources.
Federal funding for HBCUs has notably increased in recent years. In 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
HBCUs may struggle to complete with predominantly White schools in recruiting high-achieving Black students. In an attempt to correct for racial disparities, many predominantly White institutions actively seek out and court high-achieving students of color. Following the enactment of Civil Rights laws in the 1960s, many educational institutions in the United States that receive federal funding adopted affirmative action to increase their racial diversity.
Starting in 2001, directors of libraries of several HBCUs began discussions about ways to pool their resources and work collaboratively. HBCU libraries have formed the HBCU Library Alliance. Together with Cornell University, the alliance has a joint program to digitize HBCU collections. The project is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.[91] Additionally, more historically Black colleges and universities are offering online education programs.
The Black Student Alliance: A Voice on Campus
The Black Student Alliance (BSA) is a major student organization on many campuses, including predominantly White institutions. These organizations provide a cultural base for Black students and advocate for their needs and concerns.
The origins of the Black Student Alliance can be traced to the Afro-American Society (AAS), formally established in 1967 with the help of then student (and former Duke Medical School Director of Admissions) the late Dr. Brenda Armstrong. The AAS formed as these students sought ways to deal with the challenges of Black life at a predominantly White institution. The first political statement by the AAS was the Hope Valley Study-In on November 13, 1967. Thirty-five members of the AAS staged a day long study-in protest in the lobby of President Knight’s office denouncing (1) the use of segregated facilities by the University organizations and (2) the membership of key university officers, including President Knight, in the segregated Hope valley Country Club. The turbulent racial period of the 60’s in America had its impact at Duke too. On February 13, 1969, AAS students led a Black student takeover of the Allen Building to spark University action on the concerns of Black students. The AAS was renamed the Association of African Students (The Association) in 1971 and assumed its present title, the Black Student Alliance (BSA), in September of 1976. Since then, BSA has sought to provide a cultural base for Black students at the University as well as continue the struggle for solutions to the aforementioned problems. The BSA has grown into a major student organization on campus. The 80’s brought further change to BSA’s evolution as officers now serve academic year long terms. Also in the 1980’s, when Black enrollment began to decrease, BSA joined forces with the Undergraduate Admissions Office in making Black recruitment a primary goal (i.e., BSAI Weekend and the Reggie Howard Memorial Scholarship Program). The Black Student Alliance Invitational Weekend, which is held every spring, allows prospective students to visit the campus. and be introduced to the Duke experience from a Black perspective. The Reggie Howard Memorial Scholarship honors the first Black student who became ASDU (the student government at the time) president in 1976. This scholarship is offered to incoming students who demonstrate the outstanding academic achievements and the leadership Reggie Howard characterized.
The Significance of Homecoming
Homecoming is a tradition at almost every American college and university, however homecoming has a more unique meaning at HBCUs. Homecoming plays a significant role in the culture and identity of HBCUs. The level of pageantry and local black community involvement (parade participation, business vendors, etc.) helps make HBCU homecomings more distinctive. Due to higher campus traffic and activity, classes at HBCUs are usually cancelled on Friday and Saturday of homecoming.[104] Millions of alumni, students, celebrity guests, and visitors attend HBCU homecomings every year. In addition to being a highly cherished tradition and festive week, homecomings generate strong revenue for many black owned businesses and HBCUs.
Athletic Conferences and Alliances
NCAA Division I has two historically Black athletic conferences: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference. The top football teams from the conferences have played each other in postseason bowl games: the Pelican Bowl (1970s), the Heritage Bowl (1990s), and the Celebration Bowl (2015-present). These conferences are home to all Division I HBCUs except for Hampton University and Tennessee State University. Tennessee State has been a member of the Ohio Valley Conference since 1986, while Hampton left the MEAC in 2018 for the Big South Conference.
The formation of the HBC4Us Alliance marks a new era of collaboration. The HBC4Us Alliance represents a collaborative partnership among the four major NCAA athletic conferences comprised primarily of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs): the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
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