From far and wide, Beyonce brings excitement to HBCU culture

ATLANTA — When Beyonce paid tribute to historically black colleges at Coachella, the singer's grand performance reignited interest in the marching band culture and created shockwaves of excitement to students attending those schools.

From far and wide, some HBCU students are saying Beyonce's routine was the main topic on their campus this week — even over finals. The singer's highenergy festival set over the weekend involved a black college marching band, dance troupes and step teams along with her singing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known as the national black anthem.

"It's what everyone has been talking about. All my friends were gushing over it," said Cierra Johnson, 22, a senior at Clark Atlanta University. The journalism major watched Beyonce's performance online with her friends (though the superstar's second performance this weekend at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will not be streamed for fans).

"It shows that our culture is appreciated," she added. "I was happy to see black people unite to do great work. It has the power to inspire a lot of African-american students who want to go to an HBCU to experience that culture."

Beyonce is also helping people get there. She announced Monday she plans to donate $100,000 to four black universities — $25,000 each to Tuskegee University, Bethune-cookman University, Xavier University of Louisiana and Wilberforce University.