At the end of March, nearly 250 students and coaches from 48 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were set to travel to California to compete for the national championship title in the 31st annual Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), America’s premier academic competition for HBCUs.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda made the difficult decision to cancel the HCASC National Championship Tournament for 2020, reallocating funds from the program to partner with HBCUs and support their local communities.

Here’s a look at how the funds from Honda are supporting HBCU communities, as told from the perspectives of HBCU students, presidents and institutional representatives:

“The Florida A&M University-Bond Community Health Center COVID-19 Test Site is responsible for over 10,500 tests taken since April 25.

– Da’Tarvia Parrish, associate professor of History and Political Science, campus coordinator and HCASC coach, Livingstone College “Paine College is pleased to have had the opportunity to give back to the Augusta, Georgia community through the grant funds made available by American Honda to the ‘Great 48’ HBCUs that were scheduled to compete in the 2020 Honda Campus All-Star Challenge National Championship Tournament.

– Ruth J. Simmons, Prairie View A&M University president

For over three decades, Honda has supported the success and dreams of HBCU students through initiatives like the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge and Honda Battle of the Bands (HBOB).