ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The game of football brought folks together in a new way Saturday as part of the HBCU Weekend of Hope in Rochester. Full schedule announced for HBCU ‘Weekend of Hope’ Players from across the country met at the Rochester Community Sports Complex for Saturday's game. Food, drinks and good vibes kicked things off for the fans around noon with a tailgate party. The Frederick Douglass HBCU Football Classic Weekend of Hope celebrates the legacy of Frederick Douglass and the significance of historically Black colleges and universities. Leading up to kickoff, there were several events for local high school students and alumni of HBCUs (or Historically Black Colleges and Universities.) "This really is to promote colleges, especially historically Black colleges and universities," said Kimberly Brown, president of the Theta Omega Sigma chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority. "That is a unique experience outside of going to your regular college because you get to see representation, people that look like you, people that are successful doing things." Some of the events featured were educational, others allowed students a chance to relax and meet new people, like Friday's mixer at the Red Wings Game at Innovative Field. "Allowing our young people to come and experience being around positive African American people, see the HBCU bands and the teams and experience football and camaraderie in a whole new level, that I think Rochester has not provided," said Torye Harris, the president of the Theta Omicron chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. The game wrapped up with a Battle of the Bands event between the Central State University's Marching Marauders and the Albany State Marching Rams. The Albany State Rams from Georgia ended up taking home the trophy Saturday, with a score of 28-7 against Central State University of Ohio.