Today, what started as a small gathering draws over 2,000 people annually — bringing together generations of Bobcats, alumni, students, and supporters to honor our shared history, celebrate our culture, and strengthen the bonds that connect us. More than an event, it has become a powerful tradition rooted in Black excellence, heritage, and community — preserving our stories, celebrating our journey, and creating a space where we can connect, uplift, and celebrate on our own terms.
It started with a feeling — and one man who refused to let it go.
Back in 2006, Russell Carter looked at Texas State University and saw a gap. Black graduates had poured everything into that campus, only to cross the stage and lose the thread. So Russell created a way back. Alongside his longtime friend Dexter Lee, he merged his fraternity brothers' reunion with their old college crew, the Rat Pack.
That partnership was the foundation. Russell had the vision; Dexter had the network and energy to build it out. Together, they turned a tailgate into a tradition: friends reconnecting, stories flowing, and year after year, more people coming home. Athletes wanted to reunite with teammates. Sororities and fraternities wanted in. What Russell and Dexter built had become something the whole community wanted a piece of.
In 2016, Tamica Seay walked back onto campus with big ideas. After three years with the TXST African American Alumni Association, including a tenure as Homecoming Chair, she knew homecoming was more than a gathering; it was community, culture, and legacy.
Tamica brought her business savvy, marketing expertise, and vision for what it could become. Together, the three set out to build an experience that rivaled any HBCU homecoming: Black music. Black alumni vendors. Cultural programming curated for us, by us. A space where every Black alumnus, Greek or not, athlete or artist, class of '92 or class of '22, felt equally celebrated. Through storytelling, social media, and a commitment to amplifying the community, Tamica helped make sure it belonged to all of us.
What started as a small gathering now brings together over 2,000 Black Bobcats each year to celebrate our culture, honor our journey, and uplift one another.
Even as the university’s name changed, our legacy remained. The history built under Southwest Texas State lives on through us, and blackTXST carries that tradition forward for generations to come.
For Russell, Dexter, and Tamica, this has always been about legacy: creating a place where every Black Bobcat feels they belong.