On Juneteenth, Texas Southern University’s “Ocean of Soul” marching band graced the pages of Vogue.
The Houston HBCU’s band, under the direction of Brian Simmons, appears in the magazine’s article titled “Lone Star State of Mind: Snapshots of Texas Today.“ The 2026 Summer issue hit newsstands on Friday, celebrating Juneteenth. The spread features the full ensemble of the Ocean of Soul, including the band, the drum majors and the Motion of the Ocean dance team.
Juneteenth has great significance in Texas, especially in the Galveston and Houston areas. June 19, 1865, was the date enslaved people in Galveston first learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed it.
Galveston is nearly 50 miles south of Texas Southern’s campus, making the region the birthplace of the holiday now recognized nationwide.
Vogue’s feature also lands during Black Music Month, the June observance of celebrating Black musical heritage and its imprint on American culture.
“This moment does not just belong to our students and the University, but to Houston and to every HBCU in this country,” J.W. Crawford III, president of Texas Southern University, said. “To be in Vogue is incredible, and for this to happen on Juneteenth, in the region where Juneteenth began, is revelational. The University’s presence in such a renowned publication is an acknowledgment of sustained excellence, cultural roots, and a band program that has been revolutionary in its approach to communicating with and relating to diverse audiences while performing on the largest stages.”
The recognition caps a stretch of national exposure that few college bands have matched. Under director Brian Simmons, now in his fifth year and entering his sixth season, the Ocean has performed at WrestleMania and become a fixture of Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans.
On Christmas Day 2024, the band accompanied Beyoncé Knowles-Carter during her Beyoncé Bowl award-winning halftime performance, one of the year’s most-watched sporting events, drawing a global audience of over 27 million viewers. It also shared a stage with Grammy winner Lizzo at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
“Every time we step onto a new stage, we carry the legacy of every student who has worn this uniform,” Simmons said. “There are no words that are adequate for what it means to see our students in the pages of Vogue, on Juneteenth. This is what we built this for. It is what our students prepare for daily.”
The Ocean of Soul, founded in 1969, comprises more than 200 members who come from across the nation. Director Simmons’ band has a reputation for having one of the best sounds in the SWAC. The variation of field shows and musical repertoire makes the Ocean of Soul a favorite to watch and listen to in the stands at football and basketball games. Technically, the marching unit produces a heavy sound with crisp precision drills that have carried it to national stages.
According to the TSU announcement, Vogue shot the band on location at TSU and at its Alexander Durley Sports Complex in Houston, documenting the band on campus as part of a broader visual story about the state of Texas.
Photographer Tyler Mitchell was accompanied by stylist Carlos Nazario during the photoshoot. Expect a documentary to premiere on Vogue’s YouTube channel. Mitchell became the first Black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover in 2018 and has built a career around shooting Black cultural subjects for the magazine.
The feature is available in Vogue’s Summer 2026 print edition and at vogue.com. Texas Southern has invited supporters to back the band through its High Tide giving campaign.
