The annual Magic City Classic not only showcases the historic rivalry between two Alabama schools, but also highlights the importance of historically black colleges and universities, an education official said at a breakfast today.

“It's always great to gather for sporting events, but it's even better when they have meaning,” said Lodriguez Murray, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs at the United Negro College Fund. Murray was the keynote speaker at the annual Magic City HBCU Breakfast benefiting UNCF, held during what Governor Kay Ivey declared as Historically Black Colleges and Universities Month in Alabama.

The event coincides with the ongoing festivities surrounding the Classic, a traditional matchup between Alabama A&M in Huntsville and Alabama State University in Montgomery. The game, always played on neutral territory in Birmingham, always attracts large crowds and that's a good thing, according to Murray.

“The meeting of these two HBCUs… gives all of us, the city of Birmingham, the state of Alabama and all of us nationally, an opportunity to dive deeper into why HBCUs are so important,” Murray said.

UNCF produced an economic impact report last month that “shows how well institutions have weathered the storm of COVID-19. “It shows the strong economic impact in the state of Alabama,” Murray said. “All 14 HBCUs combined have $1.4 billion in annual revenue with a B economic impact.

“And I believe a graduating class from every HBCU in Alabama has earned over half a billion dollars over their lifetime. This is important for the state of Alabama because so many HBCU graduates tend to stay in the same state where they attended college. And so an investment in HBCUs is an investment in the future, in the earning potential here in the state of Alabama, here in the city of Birmingham and in the region.”

For economic reasons, not emotional ones, Murray said, governments at all levels and charities should invest in HBCUs.

“We tried to present the argument based on empirical data about the importance of these institutions to the city and the regional and state economy,” he said. “And hopefully charities and government officials in the region will in turn invest in the institutions.”

Murray said HBCUs are bucking national trends when it comes to enrollment. Alabama A&M reported record enrollment this fall.

“Nationally, college enrollment is declining, but HBCUs are not,” he said. “Our students are much more inclined not only to apply, but to participate. And this despite these national trends. This is despite the many setbacks that institutions like HBCUs suffer.”

“You know, they have smaller endowments, smaller budgets, have infrastructure issues, and yet students choose to attend these institutions. And they are not second or third class students. These are some of the top students in every region of the country who choose to attend HBCUs, often over Ivy League institutions.

“And so something important is happening in the institutions, as it always has. But it is much more attractive to students than in recent history. We're excited about any level of investment that we've already received, but we believe that through this data and this economic impact, we're able to show that institutions are ready and willing to make a larger investment To make up for the investment for the sake of the community.”

Murray also sought to highlight another particular interest of UNCF during this contentious election season: voter participation.

“We are running a nonpartisan campaign to win the vote because both candidates talk so much about HBCUs. We're kind of taking our narrative back and talking about the institutions from a position of strength and what they mean to populations across the country. So encourage all HBCUS members to vote,” he said.

“Our get-out-the-vote campaign is achieving record viewership. Nothing UNCF has ever released electronically has generated this level of engagement,” Murray said. “And that shows that people associated with HBCUs are voting more often this year than ever before. And we want to continue to encourage all members, everyone who has HBCUs in their hearts, to get out and vote because it is so important to the future of this country and we believe HBCUs are on the ballot.

“Our motto is, 'It's a terrible thing to waste a mind,'” he said. “But we also say for this year, and this year only, that we believe that wasting a vote is a terrible thing.”

The Magic City Classic typically draws fans across geography and college affiliation, and Murray, a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, is no exception.

He said he was “looking forward to the game, but I think we're just as excited about the halftime show as we are the game.”