NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
I remember watching A Different World and thinking “College looks cool.” It wasn’t just the show that had me intrigued, it was what the show gave me a glimpse into. I attend an all-black High School in North Philadelphia and as we know, Hillman College was an HBCU (Historically Black College and University). I wanted to be where Dwayne Wayne, Whitley, Freddie, and Denise were at. I wanted that experience.
From the moment I stepped on the campus at Shaw University, I could feel the energy there. For me, it was like High School but you just spent the night with no parents. A campus full of kids from different parts of the globe meeting one another. HBCUs were for us but that’s not the case anymore.
Remember in the early stages of A Different World when Denise and Jalisa shared a room? Well, what many tend to forget is that they had a 3rd roommate–Maggie played by Marisa Tomei. She was not black. Even back then, diversity played a role in our HBCUs. But her character was written off and thus began the journey.
Should We Close The Door To HBCUs
With over 100 HBCUs in the nation, the foundation is still there but not the meaning. PWI (Predominantly White Institutions) are colleges like UNC, Duke, Michigan, Yale, and others. While African-American students are not forbidden there, deep down, we know the deal. Look at our athletes. Especially when it comes to Football and Basketball. These kids from the inner city or wherever they’re from, bring in tons of money for the PWI schools but do we really fit into that culture?
What I mean by culture is simple. HBCUs are known for Homecoming and the Divine 9. How big of a difference are the Homecoming festivities at Howard than they are at Harvard? What about pledging? Are you getting that same love from your brothers and sisters that you will if you went over at Penn than you would at Morgan State? It’s just the way you look at the optics.
Now, it’s no secret that the Divine 9 was created just for us. But lately, you see other ethnic groups making their way into the Black Sorority and Fraternities. The same can be said for the non-black Greek Organizations that may reside on a campus like Stanford. Diversity. However, HBCUs were created due to a lack of diversity.
When I attended Shaw in the mid-90s, it was all black. Just recently, I went back for Homecoming and saw white students. While they were all student-athletes, it was still an eye-opening experience. During my days at Shaw, there was no Bowling, Football, Soccer, or Tennis as they have now. Shaw is now diverse. Diversity is not bad. I guess if we can invade Yale, why can’t HBCUs open the door to others?
Can white students apply to HBCUs? Yes, they can. But are we losing our culture? What makes an HBCU an HBCU is the culture. It’s a black culture. It’s a feeling. A sense of pride and belonging. In the last 10-15 years, have our HBCUs lost that? You go on a campus like Howard and see 15 Kim Kardashians and 10 Eminem’s.
As far as education goes, many HBCUs can hold their weight in the academic field. The IVY League schools are often mentioned almost out of memory. However, times have changed. Our Vice President is a product of an HBCU. Some of the top doctors in the world are products of HBCUs. We are game-changers. But for some, it does seem as if we’re taking the Dr. Marking Luther King approach and turning the other cheek instead of the Malcolm X philosophy of “by any means necessary.”
Milverton Saint, a prominent African American blogger had this to say regarding white students attending an HBCU.
There isn’t a single example in the entirety of human history of one white person coming into a Black space and allowing it to remain a Black space. Countries, neighborhoods, schools, etc,” Saint recently tweeted. “A white person who claims to be an ally and understands history should understand that and choose to protect Black spaces from the outside. Not insert themselves.
But not everyone shares the same views of Saint. Andrew Arroyo, a professor at VCU had this to say to white students thinking about attending an HBCU.
The one thing that I would say to White students is don’t take HBCUs off your list. It’s not necessarily that they have to go out and seek an HBCU, but they need to recognize that some of the best programs out there are at HBCUs, and they are some of the most affordable institutions,
Is this something that should be stopped? Should we make HBCUs accessible to only African-Americans? That’s a hard question to answer. This generation is not like our generation or the ones before it. Racism is still strong in the country but these younger kids see nothing but change. And for that, I tip my hat to them.
