Nearly 6,000 FAMU alumni and graduates of other historically Black colleges and universities, according to preliminary estimates by the Atlanta Police Department, gathered at Atlanta’s Central Park on Saturday for the 11th annual Be Out Day Atlanta, one of the largest annual celebrations of FAMU pride outside Florida.
Hosted by Friends of FAM Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports FAMU students, the event raised more than $120,000 — with contributions still being counted — for student scholarships. Walmart served as the title sponsor.
The money was significant, but the gathering itself offered a vivid display of FAMU’s reach beyond Tallahassee.
Alumni from multiple generations filled the park in orange and green, reconnecting with classmates, friends and fellow graduates for a day of music, FAMUly fun, food, and games. Graduates of other HBCUs also joined the celebration, reflecting Atlanta’s longstanding role as a center of Black collegiate and cultural life.
The event’s reach extended well beyond Central Park, generating more than 9,000 Instagram posts using the hashtag #BeOutDayATL as of Sunday. The social media response underscored the event’s growing cultural footprint, with alumni and supporters sharing photos, videos and memories that helped carry the celebration far beyond Atlanta.
The afternoon’s centerpiece was a performance by the Marching 100 Alumni Band, conducted by Dr. Julian E. White, the former FAMU band director. The ensemble’s size, precision and musicianship rivaled — and in some respects surpassed — that of many current college marching bands.
For longtime Rattlers, the performance was more than nostalgia. It underscored the enduring cultural influence of the Marching 100, one of the university’s most recognizable institutions.
Be Out Day gatherings have been held this year in Tampa, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., South Florida and other cities with substantial FAMU alumni populations. But Atlanta remains the flagship, earning its reputation as the granddaddy of them all.
For Friends of FAM, the event's most tangible result was the scholarship money. For FAMU, however, the weekend offered something less easily measured: a demonstration of the loyalty its alumni carry long after leaving campus.
FAMU’s influence has never been confined to Tallahassee. Its graduates have built communities around the nation.
On Saturday, Atlanta provided perhaps the clearest illustration ever that while Florida A&M University may be in Tallahassee, the Rattler Nation is everywhere!!