Martin Lemelle was walking the Grambling State University campus, not as a college student but as a student enrolled at GSU’s lab school, when Grambling State first sought federal trademark recognition for the famous “G” symbol associated with one of the nation's most legendary HBCUs. He was 14.
Steve Favors was president.
Today, Martin Lemelle is president.
That was the late 1990s. A black-and-white example of The G was submitted to the . The design wasn’t in color, and it too closely resembled the G used by the and the NFL. The University of Georgia’s G looked awfully similar, too. The federal office rejected the request. “The black and gold. ,” university vice president of administration and business affairs, told me.
Moses graduated from GSU. She knew legendary football Eddie “Coach Rob” Robinson. She played for Patricia Cage-Bibbs, a two-time head women’s basketball coach at GSU and a seven-time SWAC coach of the year. As an attorney with tax and white-collar experience and a stint as New Orleans city attorney, she’s seen a lot. But nothing like this. This was professional and personal.
The spouses and family of Notre Dame and University of Georgia coaches ride on carriages during a second line parade for the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans on Monday, December 30, 2024. The parade started at Pat O'Briens and made its way to Arnaud's Restaurant. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Grambling State has fought to rein in fake Grambling State University merchandise, fake GSU event branding and other fake G uses. Grambling State’s GramFam, a registered trademark, has long said the university is a place “Where everybody is somebody.” Everybody may be somebody, but not any old or young somebody should capitalize on the institution’s brand.
I went to Hampton. I’m a proud HU pirate. I love my “home by the sea.” But I’ve never gotten the same reaction traveling through airports with Hampton gear as I get when I wear The G, apparel I picked up during my tenure at the northern h school a few years ago. Lots of people know that G. Honestly, sometimes people look at the G letter and its contours and don’t see color. They ask whether I went to Georgia, and sometimes ask whether I’m a Packers fan. Neither is true. Who Dat!
Grambling State won federal trademark recognition earlier this month by negotiating with the Packers and the NFL and Georgia. I don’t know the specifics of the “amicable” shared agreement Moses said was reached. I know I agreed with Moses when she said, “This is a big deal.”
There are lots of estimates and guesstimates about the value. Some say it could mean GSU getting as much as $5 million. That number alone would make it a big deal.
There are other HBCUs with big brands. Hampton University’s brand includes reflex blue, or Hampton blue, and white. Howard University’s brand includes indigo or Bison blue, red and white. Hampton has Petey the Priate as its mascot.. Howard is represented by a bison, honoring the Black Buffalo soldiers. They are “The Mecca.”
Both use “HU.” Both have students, faculty, staff, fans and supporters calling their institution “The Real HU.” I went to Hampton Institute, before it changed to Hampton University in 1984, reflecting higher academic excellence and stronger research as a higher education institution. My alma mater will never be “The Real HU" in my eyes. Maybe it’s “The Better HU." The Real HU? That’s a cultural distinction debated across affinity lines. Only a federal registration decision can settle that one.
Grambling State is one of the biggest HBCU brands. Others include Florida A&M State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Jackson State University (especially since Deion Sanders was there), Morehouse College and Spelman College. Southern University is in the mix, as are Jackson State University and Prairie View A&M University, especially in this region.
In our HBCU world, brand is more than institutional. It’s cultural. . It certainly makes for some showin' out at HBCU homecomings, on campus and off.
Rapper Lil Wayne sings during a break during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Matt Ludtke
Favors saw branding issues during his vice presidencies at Howard University and the University of New Orleans. He was GSU’s president from 1998-2001. It’s been 25 years since he was president. Today, Favors is an honors college professor at Grambling State, and The G issue has been resolved.
After decades of pushing to make this happen, it’s good to see Grambling State reach an amicable resolution with others who lay claim to a G. . Based on what I know, this is an example of how key institutions can reach consensus to get to a point where everybody can be somebody, benefiting financially while featuring, promoting and swagging with The G.
This is a big deal, for Grambling State, HBCUs and h.