Hampton Alum (Me) Responds to a Howard Alums Negative Reaction of Miss Hampton U

As a proud alumni of the prestigious Hampton University, nothing irks me more than when someone else talks badly about my school.

Recently, though, my “Home By The Sea” has come under attack for the oh-so heinous crime of crowing a WHITE girl – gasp – as the winner of its annual Miss Hampton U pageant.

Since Sunday, when Nikole Churchill was awarded the crown (and, one assumes from all the commotion, the “Great White Hope” belt), Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and the news world have been ablaze with people expressing their opinions, both for and against the judges’ decision.

One of my fellow EMQtv bloggers, Alejandro Ford, posted up a blog he found by a girl who goes by the name “Sista Toldja,” an alum of Hampton’s rival school, Howard University.  In her blog article, “Lil’ Obama, Big FAIL,” Sista not only trashes the girl who got picked (whom she knows NOTHING about), but my school as well.

Far be it from me to trash Howard University in my defense of my school’s choice (us Hamptonites are much classier than that)… but when someone picks on a place where I spent 5 of the best years of my life without having experienced any time there, I HAVE to respond.

The main problem I have with Ms. Toldja’s article is the numerous fact errors, erroneous statements, and biased opinions scattered throughout her argument. Below are some of the things she said, along with my rebuttals:

—

1. “Historically Black colleges and universities were originally designed to serve a population that was not allowed to enter traditionally White institutions. As segregation was made (technically) illegal, the role of the HBCU has shifted. Black schools still provide opportunities to students who may not be accepted to other schools due to conscious and subconscious discrimination.”

This statement is degrading to HBCUs in general.  Yes, historically Black colleges were set up to allow our people to get an education… but like she says herself, the HBCU role has shifted.  As a result of desegregation, HBCUs are (technically) supposed to be equal to its White school counterparts in the types of education it provides.  Her statement makes it sound as though going to an HBCU is still a last option, as if a person going to an HBCU is ONLY going there because the white schools would not accept them.

I was offered the chance to go to a plethora of school – both historically Black OR mostly White – and CHOSE to go to Hampton.  Nikole may or may not have had any other options, but there ARE White students at that school who, like some of the Black people who go there, actually CHOSE to go.

2. “…the HBCU has become a sacred and celebrated space in which Black students can learn in an environment that is safe from racism and free from the burden of being a minority…”

This statement is a lie.  As much as we hate to admit it, Black people can be some of the most racist people, especially towards our own.  We have arguments about who has good hair vs. bad hair; hate on those whose skin is darker or lighter than us; and, because there are so few of “us” that are able to get good job positions, we often end up stabbing our own in the back.

This is not to say all Black people are like this; however, to push the idea that an all-Black environment is safe from racism is ludicrous.  It may be slightly lessened, but it does not deter it from happening.  I will admit Sista was right about the lifted burden of being a minority, which was quite nice…

…however, seeing as she knows what it is like to be in that type of environment, one would assume she’d have more sympathy for the White people who go to these schools.  Now THEY are the ones who are the minority; does this mean we should suddenly treat them the same way White people treated us when we were in their shoes?  What if these White people in question never (or, for those of you who never say never, “rarely”) did anything racist towards a person of color? Should THEY now have to pay for the sins of what their ancestors did?

3. “Studies show that students learn better in these situations and the 4-5 years spent at a Black college are often a welcome relief after years of Euro-centric education from most public and private school systems.”

I agree with this statement. After years of constant European history, I was glad to get a chance to learn some more about Black culture.

But again: DID IT EVER OCCUR TO PEOPLE LIKE SISTA TOLDJA THAT WHITE PEOPLE MAY FEEL THE SAME WAY??

I grew up around mostly White people, and needed to be around Black people for a change.  If I felt this way, I’m sure there are plenty of White teens out there who are tired of feeling like a racist when they ask their Black friends stuff about the Black experience (i.e. why our hair is sometimes kinky, why we like certain foods, what Kwanzaa is, etc.) and feel the best way to learn about “us” is to be surrounded by “us” on a regular basis in a safe environment.

An HBCU is there to provide that experience to ALL who want to experience it, including White people.

4. “At Howard, I saw a Black university president, Black deans, Black scholars, Black athletes, Black artists and Black pageant queens…”

I saw the same thing at Hampton: Black university president, Black deans, Black scholars, Black athletes, Black artists, and Black pageant queens…

…BUT, I also saw a few White deans; some Asian teachers; some German scholars; Latino artists, European athletes – and now, a White pageant queen.

While I’m all for an HBCU being “majority” black, I still feel as though we as a people still need to interact with other nationalities in order to gain a GLOBAL perspective, not just one that’s based on a singular color’s point of view.  If Sista Toldja didn’t interact with other races while at Howard, I feel sorry for her.

5. “I’d be lying if I said I can’t help but feel that the spaces given to non-Black students could have been some Black kid’s ticket to the amazing experience that I had at Howard…”

Wow – did she REALLY use the same line that White people use on US when WE get accepted into a predominately White school??  Would she be saying the same thing if she wasn’t accepted into a Harvard or Yale, or would she be writing letters to congress talking about how she feels her “space” was given to a less-deserving white kid?

Regardless, the reality of the situation is: SCHOOL IS A BUSINESS.  And, like most businesses, if there isn’t diversity, they usually get scrutinized.  So, even if her statement was true, who cares?

Just like they’ve probably let some Black students into Harvard who didn’t have as stellar grades as a White person for diversity purposes, it’s very likely that there HAVE been White people let into HBCUs for the same reason.  High school grades don’t always determine how well a person’s grades will be when they hit college, which is why they will sometimes be lenient on that particular policy.  It’s a different ball game, and some people who excelled in earlier grades CRASH when they hit college, while the opposite is true as well.

6. “…there have been some dope White young people who have come to our schools in order to confront their own White privilege and to learn about another culture… This type of White student wouldn’t place herself in the running for Miss Hampton because she would appreciate the reasons for keeping a Black girl in that crown. She’d likely understand what it means when Black teenage girls come to visit Hampton and get to see a queen who looks like them… She’d understand that she is not meant to be at the center of the school’s culture, but rather, a respectful outsider…”

Quick, somebody get out the nose plugs – I smell BUUUUUULL CRAAAAAAAP!

Reality check: going to a school like Hampton, over the course of 4 years, stacks up to about $100,000.  You know what that means?

IT MEANS THAT, REGARDLESS OF RACE, A STUDENT CAN GET INVOLVED IN ANY DAMN ACTIVITY THEY WANT.

Another reality check: most White girls don’t know what it’s like to be a “Black teenage girl.” Nor should she care how it will look to other Black teenage girls if she wins.  Hampton has crowned 50 Miss HUs – if ONE of them happens to be White, so what? Those Black teenage girls still have 49 OTHER MISS HAMPTON U’s TO LOOK UP TO – but they probably won’t even give a rat’s behind about it OR know who she is in the first place! It’s not like Miss HU wears the dang crown to class!

(And – to be even MORE real – most teenage girls in high school, in their senior year, are too busy trying to graduate to worry about whether the school they’re trying to go to has a Black pageant winner of a beauty contest.  They should be more concerned about passing class than whether or not their self-esteem is going to be threatened when they see a White Miss HBCU.)

What’s most offensive, though, is Ms. Toldja’s statement that the non-Black students should not be at the center of the school’s culture.  I don’t know how it is at other schools, but at Hampton there are sports that just aren’t populated with Black athletes (tennis, archery, swimming, etc.).

Those sports are populated with Whites, Asians, and other races.  Is Sista saying that, because these people aren’t black, they should not participate in anything that may cause them to get attention, thus focusing the eyes off the THOUSANDS of Black students there, some of whom are doing nothing more than going to class, then back to their dorm rooms?

7. “But Nikole Churchill is obviously not that girl. I don’t know her personally, nor do I know why she chose Hampton University…”

Exactly – YOU DO NOT KNOW HER.  So stop picking on her.

8. …okay, so this isn’t a quote, but she re-posted up the letter that Nikole sent to President Obama, where she asked him to speak at the school about progress and diversity. It wasn’t the world’s best-worded letter – at one point she compares her situation of being voted as Miss HU to him being elected President – which I’m sure most people probably took the wrong way.

With that said: if the letter actually WORKED, and it somehow got Obama to speak at her school, I’m sure Sista Toldja – along with any other Black people currently hating for no reason – would change their tune and try to book a ticket on down to my “Home By The Sea.”  Talk about a foot in the mouth moment!

9. “Nikole, welcome to some sh!t Black folks go through all of the time: feeling like they worked hard to earn something, only to have folks of another race question and challenge and piss allover their achievement. Except for that in this instance, it’s being done with just reason.“

Again, based on having the experience of being a minority, one would assume Sista Toldja would have more empathy to what Nikole may be experiencing.  Instead, she has decided to crap on this girl like so many others have.

Furthermore, she states the “reasons” she’s facing this backlash – “Nikole was 1) a marginal candidate with just barely enough community service to qualify and one who lives on a satellite campus of some sort, thus being disconnected from the school she is supposed to represent and 2) ALLEGEDLY selected as the winner unofficially before the pageant because Hampton leadership believed a diversity candidate was the way to go” - but none of this is FACT.  Her stated reason for hating on this girl is based solely on RUMORS that have yet to be proven.

You know how rumors get started?  You hear something at least 3 or more times, and your brain starts to believe it to be true.  For example, if I were to say:

Sista Toldja and I made out at a party once.
Sista Toldja and I made out at a party once.
No, really – Sista Toldja and I made out at a party once.

By the third time, you’d start to think: “Wow, maybe Aaron DID make out with Sista Toldja once!” (Note: We really DID make out at a party once… or did we? OoOoOo…)

10. “Nikole Churchill is a traditionally attractive White woman. While she is not a good writer so far as we can judge her by this letter, I’ll assume she’s a smart girl because she’s made it through over three years of college…”

Oh, I get it now – this is just another case of a woman hating on another woman! It’s like when a dark-skinned person hates on another Black because they “lack something,” and that other Black person just happens to be as light-skinned as all the other Black people that person hates on.

Women are NOTORIOUS for hating on other women without having even met them or conversed with them first.  Just look at her sarcastic statements: “traditionally attractive;” “not a good writer;” “I’ll ASSUME she’s a smart girl…”  Sista Toldja’s not mad at Nikole – she’s JEALOUS of her because SHE never got to be the Miss HU at Howard, while this White girl got the crown instead!  For shame – I thought a Howard woman would have more class than that!

11. “From where I am sitting, this honor is wasted on her. What this could have meant to a Black girl who may leave Hampton to go work for some corporation where she is the only Black face would be so much more than a member of the majority “fighting” for acceptance at a minority school.”

Better get out those nose plugs again!

Sista makes it sound like a Black woman needs to have the Miss HBCU title under her belt to get a leg up in the corporate world.  Reality check: The Miss HBCU title is mostly about doing charity work.

Any Black woman who has a desire to do so can join any number of Black organizations (NAACP, Tavis Smiley Foundation) and do work for them.  Any Black woman with a good enough work ethic can participate in internships, study abroad programs, charities, and programs on campus that will fill up her resume enough to impress future employers.

They only elect ONE Miss Hampton U each year – guess what the rest of the THOUSANDS of women on campus have to do go build up their portfolios? OTHER STUFF.

12. “As the continued need for HBCUs is questioned by detractors, Hampton made a disgusting PR move this Homecoming season.”

Again: 50 Miss Hamptons so far, ONE winner who was White.

But if Sista Toldja wants to play it that way: rarely is there such a thing as BAD PR.  My school is getting more coverage off this White girl winning the pageant than it did when one of our previous Miss HUs got busted for shop-lifting.

If anything, it sends a POSITIVE message out there that, even at an HBCU, all students will be made to feel welcome and accepted, including students who aren’t of the Black persuasian.

As Black people, both Sista Toldja and I know the pains of being discriminated against, looked at awkwardly, asked dumb questions and harassed just for trying to be ourselves.  I didn’t like it when I went through it, and do my best not to do it to others.

However, what Sista Toldja is advocating is that our people should rally against Nikole simply because she’s white.  In the process, she’s forgotten that JUST BECAUSE IT WAS DONE TO US DOESN’T MEAN WE SHOULD BE DOING IT BACK.

Just like Black people have the right to make their presence known in a White-majority school, White people at HBCUs need to be able to feel like they, too, can make a contribution to their chosen school environment without having to become invisible on account of the color of their skin.

Then again, I guess those types of lessons are only taught over at Hampton, a.k.a. the “Real” HU. (Sorry – you know I had to get at least ONE in. )

-Aaron P. Taylor

Aaron P. Taylor is the author of the EMQ blog, UnCommon Sense: Deciphering the Enigma That is Life. For more from Aaron visit http://www.emqtv.com/uncommonsense