Serial entrepreneur Kendra Bulluck-Major, award-winning host, producer and reporter Kelsey Nicole Nelson on her latest podcast episode of “Listen In With KNN” to discuss legacy, leadership, and the cultural resurgence of one of the nation’s most Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ sporting events: the Orange Blossom Classic.
“For me, it is all about paving the way for others,” said Bulluck-Major, the first Black woman to own exclusive rights to a major HBCU sports property. “It may sound somewhat of a cliche, but you’re able to emulate what you see. And the reason that I started the Orange Blossom Classic was because as a young girl, I was exposed to HBCUs and the excitement and the culture around HBCUs.”
The Classic was revived by Bulluck-Major in 2021 and is now going on its fifth year up and running after being founded in 1933 by Florida A&M University.
It is an annual HBCU football game played in Miami Gardens on Labor Day weekend. It has since evolved into a weekend-long celebration of HBCU pride, legacy, leadership and cultural uplift.
“This was a game that was so rich in history,” Bulluck-Major said. “It ran until 1978, and it was during a time of segregation. We weren’t able to showcase HBCU talent in the mainstream. So this game was a way for us to celebrate ourselves, celebrate our culture … The events around the game were so much bigger than the game itself.”
This year’s matchup on August 30 will feature Florida A&M University and Howard University — a tribute to the Classic’s original game in 1933 and a rematch of the 2023 Celebration Bowl, the championship game that crowns the HBCU national football champion each year.
Still, the game is just the start of what’s shaping up to be a weekend full of history, culture, and celebration.
“We have a dinner party on Friday night. We have our postgame party, Fan Fest, a career fair, a sports and entertainment symposium, our scholarship luncheon,” Bulluck-Major said. “It’s a week of just nothing but fun events.”
The annual Elevation Experience, a free conference Bulluck-Major hosts to kick off the Classic, has drawn hundreds of women leaders, entrepreneurs and creatives from all over to network, share strategies and inspire one another through panels, breakout sessions and live activations.
“It is an opportunity for like-minded women to come together and to hear from other women who are navigating the same path,” Bulluck-Major said. “We had breakout sessions… from fashion and beauty to the proper business structure. It’s so much bigger than just a football game — think about community.”
The Classic also fuels scholarship programs — nearly half a million dollars raised since 2021 — designed to support not just top academic performers and student athletes, but well-rounded students who need an extra push.
“If you’re a band student, or an athlete, then you can qualify for our scholarship fund,” Bulluck-Major said. “We have testimonials from students who say, ‘With these scholarship funds, I don’t have to worry about how I’m going to finance my education.’”
Bulluck-Major’s vision now extends further through the Invesco QQQ partnership and other sponsors involved in the Classic, all aimed at increasing financial literacy among HBCU students.
For Bulluck-Major, the Classic is more than a professional venture — it’s personal. Her father, a Florida A&M alumnus, passed down stories of the original Orange Blossom Classic, fueling her desire to revive the event for future generations.
“My dad is definitely excited,” Bulluck-Major said. “He tells me how his friends love it … seeing people who remember the original Orange Blossom Classic and now get to experience it again — and also selling and introducing it to the next generation — that’s one of the biggest highlights for me.”
As part of the weekend’s events, the Divine Nine Greek organizations will be honored in Miami Gardens, the only city in the nation with streets named after each of the nine groups. Howard University, which will participate in the 2025 Classic, is the birthplace of several of these organizations.
“It is a week of just nothing but fun events,” Bulluck-Major said. “We’re going to make this one big party, so we want everyone to come out.”
For the full conversation, listen to the episode of Listen In With KNN below.
