Nike's commitment to HBCUs has been seen through its Yardrunners program, which, since 2020, has given designers from various historically black colleges and universities the opportunity to commemorate their alma matta. Past collections in the Yardrunners program included an array of Nike Dunk Low colorways and Terminator High renditions. Following an early preview of an Air Force 1 Low made for Virginia Union University, images of an AF1 for Howard University have emerged.
Unlike the pair for VUU, which sees faux black pony hair utilized across the upper, this pair sticks to more traditional construction and colorblocking. Sail shades, used as a nod to the rich history of HBCU's that date back to the year 1837, dominate the tumbled leather panels on the mudguard, eyestays, toebox, midfoot, and heel, while a brown shade Nike dubs "bison" takes over the Swoosh, tongue, sockliner, and heel tab. The use of this deep brown color is meant to represent the shades of melanin and beauty that connect every student to their school, rots, and the generations of Black excellence that came before them. The coordinates for Howard University, “38.9227 N, 77.0194 W,” are placed in this same bison brown near the lateral toe.
