Dear Essence; Dear Black People

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You did it! You successfully used a years long argument and divide to cause dialogue based on division once more. You pitted Black people who attend a Predominantly White Institution against Black scholars who attend/ed a Historically Black College or University. It may not have been your intentions, but it surely is what occurred. This was your chance to uplift Black heritage and the deep pride that comes with attending HBCUs, as well as celebrate education in the Black realm. Instead, you had to do it by using a PWI experience as the juxtaposing experience for one of an HBCU calling it inauthentic to do one versus the other.

You plastered the statement "Sorry, you can't have an authentic Black HBCU experience attending a PWI" across photographs of different shades of ebony showing us all the Black girl magic. But, couldn't you have made this segment less problematic? Could you not have uplifted HBCUs without downing PWIs?

Yes, before we continue, I did attend a PWI and yes, I obviously am offended. I first saw the post being shared across twitter and thought, "You know what? I won't even look into what this is". Then, I saw it on my Instagram feed and people celebrating, but I was turned off and had to go straight to Snap Chat to see exactly what this picture was and if I was reading correctly. My eyes didn't fail me. I swiped through because I imagined this had to just be "swipe bait", but then I realized it really was distasteful and could have been delivered differently. Being an alumnus of a PWI and having many friends who attended HBCUs I have heard the many arguments against Black scholars who attend white campuses, as well as the arguments that have been said against attending Black colleges. Can we all agree before we continue here that each experience is subjective, anyways? Also, who said I attended a PWI with wishes of an HBCU experience? That statement was nonsensical and just added to the argument that a lot of HBCUs throw at PWI attendees that we are trying to be like them with our events. How does this even make sense?

Let me debunk some myths about a PWI:

"You don't have a sense of Black community"

Is it not true and been psychologically proven that individuals of similar ethnicities find comfort in one another and will seek each other out naturally, especially in circumstances of education? You can further find evidence of this and reasoning for this in a good ol' book called "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in The Cafeteria" by Beverly Daniel Tatum (pick it up, great read!). So, with this fact, would you not think that POC on college campuses will find each other? Create resources to help each other succeed, form alliance groups, create our own communities within this white majority? The same way we have done in, I don't know, society?

"You can't have a real Black experience like we do at our college"

Let me start by saying, I am BLACK, therefore where ever I go is going to be a BLACK experience. Whether my Black experience is me being surrounded by 50k other Black faces or 500, it's still a Black experience and you cannot debunk that fact. I don't think I need to further this one.

"You want to be at an HBCU so bad"

No. Just because we may have Greek life, we may have gatherings like a hump day gathering or something similar does not mean we are trying to be like an HBCU and have an "authentic HBCU experience". Did you ever think that we are just ... being Black? Do you not assume that all of us are similar and no matter where we go we bring the same cultural liveliness and representation?

"You think you're better than everybody because you attend a White school"

No. We think we are receiving an education and have been able to make into a school that was tough, not discrediting anybody else's but rather proud of our OWN accomplishment to get into a school that we initially had to fight the government to even get a foot into. Could you argue that maybe we should stop fighting to attend spaces where we aren't welcome? Sure, but did you forget that a lot of the schools that were made for "just Blacks" were made to also keep you out and sadly, are now funded by the same White institutions you loathe? Why not get an education that they don't want us to have and use it to take their positions post-grad?

"You aren't conscious because ..."

Stop. Being thrust into a white space, I feel, would make any person under pressure band together and fight back, as well as realize their Blackness. Nigrescence seems inevitable at some point for all of us (some are left behind) no matter where we attend. Not only are there courses geared towards African Studies, but there are whole departments that offer safe spaces and education on what being a part of the diaspora means and is. By no means does attending a white institute hold as a measurement of "being woke", the same as attending an HBCU does not make you an automatic lover for all things Black. On each campus there are those who are aware and those are unaware and don't care. Consciousness isn't subscribed to a landmark.

*sits back and sighs*

So Stay Woke...

We already have to deal with 'others' antagonizing us, why add a divide amongst ourselves?

Furthermore, I want it to be known that nobody that I hang around puts anyone down who attends an HBCU and we are just as proud of those scholars as we are of our own who attend PWIs. The idea that I want to get across is that WE are ALL BLACK and EDUCATED and should praise each others' successes no matter where we went and who signed our degrees. The conversation that needs to end is the one that promotes Blackness if only in a certain setting.

No, maybe I cannot get an HBCU experience at a white campus, but regardless, I am still getting a BLACK experience where ever I go. Essence, you failed. The diction used allowed for connotations to move from just celebrating HBCUs to ostracizing other Blacks who attended PWIs. There was no need to step on some Black people in order to celebrate the wonderfulness of others.

At the end of the day, we are all fighting the same fight. Am I better than my HBCU scholars? No. I know more Black engineers that have left Prairie View and more Black doctors that came from Xavier, as well as nurses and teachers, etc from Black institutions. WE are ALL achieving and ALL striving to be successful and educated. Why cause one more divide that is unnecessary. WE are hurting ourselves when WE decide to talk down on Black institutes or Black students who choose to attend a white institute. An authentic Black experience is truly an experience that is original to YOU. Therefore, anybody's experience is AUTHENTIC.

*A look into what has been happening this week on account of our own selves*

Support one another and stop the divisive dialogue; it starts with us.

_______________________

- Begum, Over and Out! ;)

(I don't own any copyrights to any photos/graphics used in this post)

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