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The Mississippi Valley State University “Mean Green Marching Machine” has been invited to perform at the 60th Presidential Inauguration Parade in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. The event will follow Donald Trump’s swearing-in as the 47th President of the United States.
The institution has stated the total budget for this historic trip is $350,000, which includes travel, accommodations, meals, and equipment transportation. The band is actively raising funds to cover these expenses.
“This is not just a moment of pride for our university but for the entire state of Mississippi,” said Dr. Jerryl Briggs, President of Mississippi Valley State in a statement released by the institution. “It is an opportunity to showcase our legacy, celebrate our culture, and invest in the future leaders of our community.”
The “Mean Green Marching Machine” has a history of performing at events such as this. They made history in 1965 by becoming the first HBCU band to march in the Tournament of Roses Parade, returning again in 1968. That same year, they performed in President Richard Nixon’s inaugural parade.
Mississippi Valley State now joins Talladega College as the second HBCU band to perform at Trump's presidential inauguration. Talladega College's “Great Tornado Marching Band” performed at Trump's first inauguration in 2017. Talladega raised $667,000 from a fundraiser for their trip, surpassing their initial $75,000 goal by a significant margin.
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Talladega's participation in the inauguration sparked widespread criticism within the HBCU community—a backlash Mississippi Valley State is also likely to encounter for making a similar decision.
Dr. William Harvey, the former longtime president of Hampton University, penned a CNN op-ed in 2017, where he defended his alma mater's decision to participate in the inaugural parade.
“The marching band of my alma mater, Talladega College, the oldest historically black college in Alabama, accepted an invitation to participate in Donald Trump’s inaugural parade. Many people, including some Talladega alumni, are upset. They shouldn’t be. It is an honor to participate in the inauguration of any president of the United States. Talladega and its band will be celebrating the peaceful transition of power, a hallmark of America’s democracy.
He continued, “America is a proud and diverse democracy. There will always be differences of opinion as to who should lead our country and how they should lead it. However, these differences should not prevent us from participating in our nation’s democratic processes, nor should they preclude the Talladega band students from performing at the inauguration of President Trump.”
