I am excited to be blogging about something that is so passionate to me, HBCUs, and not only that, but my journey from an HBCU to a PWI. For those that don’t know, HBCU stands for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Beginning with my freshman year of college to my senior year, I attended two HBCUs: Coahoma Community College and Mississippi Valley State University. What I learned is that HBCUs are like a family, meaning we take care of our own. My experiences at both schools were great. I have met lifelong friends, professors that still have my back to this day and I just learned so much on a lot of different levels. One thing that anyone would learn is about the African American culture and what African Americans had to venture through to have colleges to attend. Now it’s time to spit a few facts at you.
According to Booth (2006), HBCUs are found in large cities, suburbs and small rural towns. Their campus communities serve more than 350,000 students. HBCUs graduate more African American students to fill the ranks of professionals in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and teaching than all other institutions in the United States. Did you know that HBCUs were established to educate Black Americans? This was determined during the decade following the Emancipation Proclamation. And today, multi-racial staffs and diverse student populations, including white students, create the collegiate communities of HBCUs.
Okay, so now that we have had a history lesson, as well as talked about my great experiences, it is now time for a culture shock. After receiving my Bachelor’s degree from MVSU, I attended graduate school at Arkansas State University, which is a PWI. A PWI is a Predominantly White Institution. Arkansas State was a big culture shock to me. After four years in a school setting where you are used to seeing majority African Americans and a few White students and foreigners, then you are placed in a new environment where everyone around you is Caucasian and foreign, I think you see where I am coming from. It really took some getting used to, at least a full semester. In my eyes, everything was different: people, food, behaviors, way of living and the school itself. I thought about giving up and returning to my “safe place” which was an HBCU. But, I’m glad that I didn’t. Experiencing something new and so diverse was one of the best things to ever happen to me. From meeting new people from different countries and backgrounds, to trying different foods and generally just being in this new setting was awesome! I not only learned something new about other people, but I learned something new about myself, and that’s what it is all about. To this day, I keep in contact with those old classmates and friends that I met, and we are each other’s support systems. Before I attended that university, I had a handful of Caucasian friends, as well as foreign friends. But now, my address book is full.
So, to high school students, current college students, aspiring college students and anyone else, I challenge you to try the journey of attending an HBCU and a PWI. No matter your race, nationality, background or whatever you consider yourself, just do it. Also to those people who are done with school but are thinking about going back, whether you attended an HBCU or a PWI, if you go back, try the other setting. It doesn’t hurt to diversify you. And I promise that the experience will be worth your while.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
From Martin Luther King and Ernest Green to Tyrone and Pookie...
I would first like to thank BET for showing The Ernest Green Story today, which inspired me to write this blog. This was my first time ever seeing that movie and it looked like an oldie, but goodie. Okay enough about me, let's get to it. Okay, my wonderful blog title is wonderful, right?
According to the encyclopedia of Arkansas history and culture, Ernest Green made history as the only senior of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students who, in 1957, were responsible for desegregating Central High School in Little Rock. Green’s place in Arkansas’s civil rights history was solidified when he became the first African American to graduate from the previously all-white Central High School. Okay, so do you see why Mr. Green is significant, okay now let's get to Dr. King.
We should all know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader, pastor, mentor, friend, father and so much more. Dr. King was an advocate of non-violence. Wow, what great men they are. These two wonderful men were positive examples when things weren't easy for African Americans. These men had to endure being called the "N" word, being beat by the white man, spit on, kicked, bruised and battered, shall I go on? The point is that younger African American children had someone to look up to, to respect, they had a leader. And what makes it worse is that these great leaders, in spite of the negativity around them, still held their heads high and set positive examples. Okay now let's say hello to the 2010 leaders to most of our children: the typical Tyrone and Pookie.
Let me state this disclaimer. If your name really is Tyrone or Pookie, then I'm not directly speaking to you, these are just two random names that I hear a lot and they describe the type of men that I am going to talk about. So please forgive me in advance. Also, I know that there are great leaders and role models of today that really want the best for our children, but I'm not talking about them right now. So back to what I was originally saying.
In this day and age, who are our children following? What do our children want to be when they grow up? If a child passes a lick, does the other child hit back? As a parent, have you ever asked yourself these questions? Well, I'm not a parent, but I have nieces and nephews, a host of cousins and I was a substitute teacher working with children ages K-8. I can't imagine to tell you the things that I have seen or heard coming from these babies. Who is setting these BAD examples? Children are cussing out their parents and teachers, bringing weapons to school, consistently fighting, using drugs and alcohol, and we cannot forget the black on black crime. And guess where the problem starts...in the HOME. We have young and old mothers running around, not caring where their children are, allowing them to run the streets, allowing them to do whatever they want, and then when they bring that kind of behavior into the classroom, all that teacher can do is send them to the office...so where's the learning? Does this mean that your child will grow up to be a nobody? I don't know, but it needs to stop.
Another thing, children growing up without their fathers. Now this has been an issue for decades, but it's not getting any better either. Did yall hear Kesha say that she loved Pookie and she wanted to have his baby? Well, Pookie's real name is Deundre and yall know the baby's name is gonna be Deundresha, right? Sad I tell you, just sad. Well, Deundre BKA Pookie is not with Kesha anymore but he still comes around to "get some" every now and then, and little Deundresha grows up to think that's the way it should be, so that cycle will repeat itself. People, who is gonna be strong and wise enough to break this cycle, it has to end. So you see, these are the kinds of leaders that we have for our children today. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do know that you will not get very far in life being uneducated, and that goes for common sense and book sense. Okay now on to Tyrone.
Hmmm, Tyrone is the BIG man on the block. All the kids in the neighborhood see him standing on the corner every day and night and when they ask him what he's doing, he simply replies, "I'm working." So, our children start to think that standing on the corner and having cars ride by and stop, then you go and take a peek into the window, slip something out of your hand to the driver, then slip something else into your pocket is work. Oh and they really believe it too because Tyrone is always "clean" from head to toe, has the finest jewelry, has the sexiest ladies all around him and he has on a new pair of Jordan's every time the new ones come out. Man, I want to be like Tyrone when I grow up. And you see, many of these children don't have an example father in the home, so they see Tyrone as daddy. And sometimes, the momma is laid up with another man, or just doesn't care what you do, just come in when it gets dark. And these are the leaders of today for our children. Wow!
According to the encyclopedia of Arkansas history and culture, Ernest Green made history as the only senior of the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students who, in 1957, were responsible for desegregating Central High School in Little Rock. Green’s place in Arkansas’s civil rights history was solidified when he became the first African American to graduate from the previously all-white Central High School. Okay, so do you see why Mr. Green is significant, okay now let's get to Dr. King.
We should all know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader, pastor, mentor, friend, father and so much more. Dr. King was an advocate of non-violence. Wow, what great men they are. These two wonderful men were positive examples when things weren't easy for African Americans. These men had to endure being called the "N" word, being beat by the white man, spit on, kicked, bruised and battered, shall I go on? The point is that younger African American children had someone to look up to, to respect, they had a leader. And what makes it worse is that these great leaders, in spite of the negativity around them, still held their heads high and set positive examples. Okay now let's say hello to the 2010 leaders to most of our children: the typical Tyrone and Pookie.
Let me state this disclaimer. If your name really is Tyrone or Pookie, then I'm not directly speaking to you, these are just two random names that I hear a lot and they describe the type of men that I am going to talk about. So please forgive me in advance. Also, I know that there are great leaders and role models of today that really want the best for our children, but I'm not talking about them right now. So back to what I was originally saying.
In this day and age, who are our children following? What do our children want to be when they grow up? If a child passes a lick, does the other child hit back? As a parent, have you ever asked yourself these questions? Well, I'm not a parent, but I have nieces and nephews, a host of cousins and I was a substitute teacher working with children ages K-8. I can't imagine to tell you the things that I have seen or heard coming from these babies. Who is setting these BAD examples? Children are cussing out their parents and teachers, bringing weapons to school, consistently fighting, using drugs and alcohol, and we cannot forget the black on black crime. And guess where the problem starts...in the HOME. We have young and old mothers running around, not caring where their children are, allowing them to run the streets, allowing them to do whatever they want, and then when they bring that kind of behavior into the classroom, all that teacher can do is send them to the office...so where's the learning? Does this mean that your child will grow up to be a nobody? I don't know, but it needs to stop.
Another thing, children growing up without their fathers. Now this has been an issue for decades, but it's not getting any better either. Did yall hear Kesha say that she loved Pookie and she wanted to have his baby? Well, Pookie's real name is Deundre and yall know the baby's name is gonna be Deundresha, right? Sad I tell you, just sad. Well, Deundre BKA Pookie is not with Kesha anymore but he still comes around to "get some" every now and then, and little Deundresha grows up to think that's the way it should be, so that cycle will repeat itself. People, who is gonna be strong and wise enough to break this cycle, it has to end. So you see, these are the kinds of leaders that we have for our children today. I'm not a rocket scientist, but I do know that you will not get very far in life being uneducated, and that goes for common sense and book sense. Okay now on to Tyrone.
Hmmm, Tyrone is the BIG man on the block. All the kids in the neighborhood see him standing on the corner every day and night and when they ask him what he's doing, he simply replies, "I'm working." So, our children start to think that standing on the corner and having cars ride by and stop, then you go and take a peek into the window, slip something out of your hand to the driver, then slip something else into your pocket is work. Oh and they really believe it too because Tyrone is always "clean" from head to toe, has the finest jewelry, has the sexiest ladies all around him and he has on a new pair of Jordan's every time the new ones come out. Man, I want to be like Tyrone when I grow up. And you see, many of these children don't have an example father in the home, so they see Tyrone as daddy. And sometimes, the momma is laid up with another man, or just doesn't care what you do, just come in when it gets dark. And these are the leaders of today for our children. Wow!
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