It's a Different World... Than Where We Come From!

I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was a crisp and cool Fall evening.  Me and about 10 other classmates of mine sat bored to death in a Public Relations course being held in a small classroom in the Liberal Arts building of Towson University.  Towson, a predominantly white public institution, has been branded as one of the better schools for a quality education in the state of Maryland... but this is debatable in my eyes after the ordeals I've had to face there as a graduate student.  Anywho, my professor (who shall remain nameless) began talking about colleges and universities in the PR world.  My classmate, a graduate of Morgan State University, raised his hand and began to so very eloquently discuss the lack of media attention that H.B.C.U's receive.  My professor sat atop one of the desk in the room with a puzzled look as my classmate continued to speak, puzzled as if he were trying to decipher the language that my classmate was speaking.  Then my professor, a man who has been a professor for years, a man who carries a Ph.D, waited until my classmate finished, then asked... "what are H.C.B.B.U's? Did I say it correctly?"  NO YOU DID NOT SIR!  I know my face dropped, as did my classmate who had just finished speaking.  My other classmates weren't phased by this ridiculous question that a man who carries a Ph.D and stands as a professor of higher-ed in a state that is home to 3, basically 4 if you count Howard since it's in DC, historically black colleges and universities.  In a class of about 12, there were only 2 of us who where black, and we both coincidentally attended H.B.C.U's.  I, Howard, and him Morgan.  Offended, appalled, confused... I'm not sure how I felt.  But at that point, he completely lost any and all credibility and respect from me.

Yesterday, my Alma mater, the illustrious Howard University turned 144 years old.  Standing only one year younger than Towson University where my ill-knowledged professor taught, and where I now attend to for my Master's degree.  This blog entry is obviously dedicated to historically black colleges and universities.  Oh how I love them!  In high school, I remember wanting to attend the huge predominantly white institutions off of the mere fact that their basketball teams made the NCAA tourney.  Then in my sophomore year, I went on a visit to Hampton Institute (haha) and fell in love with the black college world.  I immediately went home and begin to research H.B.C.U's.  I talked to my mother about it, and she went out and got me a book that listed every HBCU in the nation and its information.  The more I broke down my criteria for my college education and researched, the more I realized which one was best for me.  This led to thee BEST decision I've made thus far in my life... to attend Howard University.  

Aside from loving my alma mater, I am in love with historically black colleges and universities and what they represent.  And my experiences at Towson have solidified those feelings.  I remember getting into deep conversations in high school where "friends" of mine would say dumb things like

"you can't get the real world experience at a black school".  

Now I'm not one who folds under peer pressure, so I wasn't phased.  I was more so amused by the stupidity.   I was completely confident in my choice despite the critics.  Plus I had wonderful family support in wanting to attend Howard.  I come from a family of HBCU graduates.  My mother, Coppin State University, my aunt and other cousins, North Carolina Central University, cousins on my mom's side, North Carolina A & T, cousins on my dad side, Morgan State University... and the lineage continues with my younger cousins and little sister.  HBCU's carry real world qualities that are damn near impossible to achieve at predominantly white institutions.

My professors at Howard could tell it like it is!
 

There was no sugar-coating for the sake of someone being offended in my college classrooms.  No dancing around a topic like I have experienced in my classes at Towson where everyone is afraid to talk because they don't want to offend the black kids.  Or I received the extreme opposite at times, where they would say whatever the hell they felt like saying with no respect for other ethnicities.  My professors would tell us straight up what we may have to face because of the color of our skin in the working world, and how to not lose ourselves and our integrity because of it.  My professors allowed us to come to their offices and just talk about life, ask questions, discuss any and every thing without passing judgment.  My professors, my counselors, my career advisers, did everything in their power to make sure we were trained to be better than the next, white or black.  They helped us get those internships and jobs through personal connections.  

I wrote an article while at Howard for Black College View's online newspaper about predominantly black institutions versus predominantly black ones; therefore, I ended up having to interview various students.  I interviewed teammates of mine who transferred from the big white schools, one the University of Tennessee and one the University of Pittsburgh.  I also interviewed a white guy on campus who was fairly popular and a member of the swim team.  My teammates explained how transferring to Howard was the best decision that they could've made.  That their professors and counselors at Howard all acted as if they really wanted them to do well and succeed while they received no sort of guidance at their former schools.  On the contrary, in talking to the white student, he felt that he was treated differently because he was white.  He felt that students looked at him funny on a daily basis.  I sympathized with him to an extent, but I also thought "welcome to our world on a daily basis." 

Oddly enough, that young man ended up transferring.  Not all HBCU's have a mix of students.  We did because the graduate programs and schools that we had, along with our hospital.  But regardless of the student mix, the faculty help is there.  You can always find someone willing to be in your corner for the long run.  I am now in my final year at Towson (I pray), and I recently ran into a situation where I needed a new chair for my thesis.  I could not get a professor, a director, anyone to answer any of my emails or phone calls for help.  For weeks I tried.  Then I finally scrolled through the faculty list, and emailed the ONE black professor in my department... who also received her Ph.D for an HBCU (HU *toot*toot).  After nearly a month of trying to get someone to help me, the one black professor responded to email in less than 24hours.  Everything continues to add to my beliefs.  Now I'm not saying you must attend an HBCU for all levels of your education, but having it in there somewhere can be life changing.  It's a true college experience.

Coming from an HBCU I feel more confident in myself and my abilities.  I understand how important it is to maintain my integrity and how my color is sometimes a factor, yet I can not let that get to my head.  In high school, I went through the same stigmas in attending an all-girl school.  The notion that I was somehow "missing out" on the real world.  But what people fail to understand is that being in a situation where you are not the minority for once is empowering.  The self-esteem that you gain and pride that you attain is remarkable.  According to the public, I shouldn't have any idea of how to handle the real world.   Poor Alicia, went to an all girl, then an all black school.  Yea right, I know how to handle situations better than most.  And now I am a professor myself, determined to give my students the support that I received at Howard and didn't receive at Towson. 

My friends, graduates of schools where they were the majority are killing the friends of mine who went with the "real world".  Just as in the "real world" your left to fend for yourself.  So they're still digging, trying to figure out how to get to the top, while my friends and I were shown how to duck and dodge, and make it there.  We were taught that mediocre is NOT an option.  You CAN and you WILL do BETTER.  Of course, all that I say here doesn't apply to every person and every situation.  I know people doing great things on all ends, black and white schools... but getting help a long the way is never a bad thing.  It just bothers me when I hear black adults today say that they don't want their kids attending a black school.  How dare you be a black person and look down on what your people have built so that your kids even have a choice of education today?  If blacks schools aren't your thing, then so be it but do not dare belittle all of them because of your own ignorance.  These HBCU's were at the forefront of producing a lot of the civil rights movements and great leaders that changed this country.  So here I stand as a proud graduate and supporter of an historically black college and university.  Happy Belated Birthday Howard University.  HBCU's I salute you!

List of HBCU's -- White House Initiatve

http://www2.ed.gov/about/inits/list/whhbcu/edlite-list.html