It’s Homecoming at Banneker University and all of Fairmont Crest is ready to celebrate! Are you? In a consistent effort to showcase Black culture, the trailblazing soap opera “Beyond the Gates” will honor a sacred tradition etched into historically Black colleges and universities on Oct. 2 and 5.

 Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) and Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) invite citizens of Fairmont Crest to their Banneker University Homecoming tailgate party. Photo provided by CBS.

The residents of the CBS daytime drama will gather at the home of Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) and Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) for a big tailgate. “Beyond the Gates” is giving viewers a glimpse into Black history and our sense of community by focusing on BU.

As one of the beating hearts of the show, much like Orphey Gene’s and Uptown, Banneker has become a fascinating part of the core history. Though we’ve yet to see the campus or any classrooms, Banneker’s importance comes through its connection to majority of the characters on canvas.

Five generations of Duprees have attended this prestigious HBCU, including the late Paul Cheeks Dupree, Vernon Dupree, Dr. Nicole Dupree (Daphnée Duplaix), Congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon), Kat Richardson (Colby Nixon) and now Tyrell Richardson-Smith (Jaden Lucas Miller), who’s a freshman.

The residents of Fairmont Crest gather together to celebrate Banneker University’s Homecoming at Anita and Vernon Dupree’s home. Photo provided by Quantrell Colbert/CBS.

The Duprees aren’t the only characters connected to this illustrious school. Francesca Belleclaire (Madison Alsobrook) is also a BU freshman. Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett), Dr. Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) and Dr. Madison Montgomery (Kenjah McNeil) earned their degrees from there. Deanna McBride (Angela Fairley) and Donnell McBride (Alex Cheeks) are seniors currently, and Izaiah Hawthorne (Lami Friebe) is their academic advisor.

Perhaps that’s what makes Banneker University such a natural point of interest. Soap operas are built on legacy. We watch families pass down names, traditions, businesses and stories from one generation to the next. This HBCU carries that same sense of continuity.

Most importantly, this marks a historic moment for daytime television. It’s the first time an HBCU has ever been featured on a soap opera, real or fictional.

On Aug. 12, Tyrell Richardson-Smith’s family threw him a Banneker-themed “surprise bedroom party,” but with a twist: it was in the living room. That day, Congressman Richardson previewed the Homecoming festivities, including the bus ride where everyone will sing BU’s fight song, and he informed his son about the Duprees’ legacy at the university. CBS released a sneak peek of Anita and Vernon Dupree getting ready for their tailgate.

For years, historically Black colleges and universities have served as essential spaces where Black students can grow together in an environment rooted in heritage. There, Black achievement is not an anomaly or something that needs explaining. It is the standard and an everyday occurrence. Each of these institutions is different, but they carry their own traditions and great pride.

People who know nothing about HBCUs can now experience Homecoming through their television screens. A young viewer could see this Banneker event and begin imagining themselves on a college campus.

So here’s to Banneker University and all the stories still waiting to unfold there. This tailgate party will give audiences a chance to see the Fairmont Crest citizens they know and love reflect on how an HBCU helped shape their families and their lives.

After all, Homecoming is about going back to the place that changed you and molded you. Watching our favorite characters do just that is reason enough to celebrate. “Beyond the Gates” airs on CBS at 2 p.m. EST Monday through Friday.