Alabama A&M University's Maroon & White marching band will be performing at the 2023 Macy's Day Parade this Thanksgiving, per comments in an interview conducted by Rashad Milligan of Rolling Out. Alabama A&M will be the only HBCU represented in the parade, following Benedict College's appearance at the annual Thanksgiving holiday event last year. The marching band set out to raise $450,000 to cover expenses incurred and secured $283,000 as of August 17th.

Carlton J. Wright said that he found out about the opportunity for the band to perform at the Macy's Day Parade a couple of months earlier than his students and was excited at the prospects.

“Well, for me, I found out a couple of months before these guys, I had to keep it a big secret,” Wright said to Milligan during the interview. “I was actually judging band performances down in Auburn, Alabama. I got a phone call and stepped out, and [Macy’s Day Parade creative producer] Mr. Wesley Whatley was on the other end and asked [if] we [were] ready to go to Macy’s and I almost lost it then, but I had to keep my composure. It was tough keeping [it] a secret from these guys because the story I told them … was that we were going to get a brand-new building. They believed that right up until the day of the [Macy’s] announcement. So that part was exciting.”

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An appearance in the Macy's Day Parade is huge for HBCU culture, as it exposes an audience typically isolated from HBCU life to one of the core tenants of black college culture: HBCU band life. It also provides an unforgettable experience for the student musicians to have their talent showcased to an audience of millions.

The 2023 Macy's Day Parade will air live on NBC at 9 AM EST on Thanksgiving Day.