May 19, 2025
The school’s commencement showed how HBCUs continue to display the culture.
Virginia State University showed everybody how HBCU graduations get down. During its commencement ceremonies, the school’s graduates broke out into the popular “Boots On The Ground” line dance.
The dance breaks came from a surprise moment during both ceremonies on May 17. According to HBCU Gameday, the move was sparked by the University’s president, Dr. Makola M. Abdullah. Ahead of graduates crossing the stage, President Abdullah encouraged students to look under their seats to find handheld fans and start the party.
Our graduates are ready to hit the ground running. In fact, they already got their ” BOOTS ON THE GROUND.” pic.twitter.com/0MONhEj697
— Virginia State University (@VSU_1882) May 17, 2025
“Our graduates are ready to hit the ground running,” shared VSU in the viral post. “They already got their “BOOTS ON THE GROUND.”
People use the fans to perform the dance made popular by the song 803Fresh. This is another addition to the long list of line dances that have taken social media by storm. However, in a VSU twist, the fans also displayed the HBCU’s colors of blue, white, and orange.
As soon as graduates heard the song’s now-famous lyrics, “Where them fans at?” the crowd began to rise. The accomplished students and their families began to put their boots to work as they hit the steps to celebrate the milestone. The professors on stage also joined in the fun, with the pause from speeches offering a light-hearted moment for the traditional ceremony.
The dance has captivated not only this HBCU graduation but Black culture at large. An official music video for the hit song has already garnered over 1.8 million views on YouTube despite premiering four days ago. The cultural and TikTok hit has also made mini-celebrities, such as three-year-old Miss Shirley, who has gone viral for her bite-sized rendition of the line dance.
While “Boots On The Ground” continues to get the Black community grooving, HBCUs also prove to be cultural hubs.
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