Let me preface this post by noting that I did not, nor do I plan, to attend an HBCU. My choice to go to state schools for my higher education was based on economics. All things being equal I probably would have attended an HBCU for either undergraduate or graduate studies.
I recently came across an article on USA Today’s website that indicated that Black students at HBCU’s (particularly males) have lower graduation rates than Black students at other schools. I went searching for the article because there is some talk around the web that the Obama administration may cut funding to HBCU’s in the upcoming fiscal year by between $73 and $85 million dollars.
If some HBCU’s are, in fact, under-performing, then why continue to fund them ? I understand that this country has a long history of federally mandated marginalization of minorities (Gays, American Indians, Black Americans, Women, etc); however, if a business is no longer a good business should the government be responsible for bailing it out ? Are some businesses so important to our well being as a country that WE should continue to fund them even if they under-perform ?
What do you think ?
There is more interesting reading here regarding the federal government’s funding of HBCU’s.
Is it just me or has the Grand Old Party gotten a little…darker over the past few months ?
With the promotion of Michael Steele to lead the party and the media and the GOP making Bobby Jindal the de facto Presidential front runner one has to wonder…just what the hell the Republicans are up to these days ? I’m not skeptical because the GOP is pushing brown people to the forefront…I’m just a bit skeptical of their motivations because of the timing.
If America is ever truly going to work the problems out that are weaved into the fabric of this nation (racism) then we will need representation from people of color in all major political parties. I get that. However…haven’t there always been really qualified brown people in politics for a really long time ??? Why now, all of a sudden, are the most powerful Republicans brown people ?
I don’t want people to somehow think that I think brown people have no business in the Republican party. That isn’t what this is. I have Republican leanings myself when it comes to the spending and the role of government in people’s personal lives.
What the heck are their motives ? Are the Republican, like Bush said, finally working to become more inclusive of all Americans ? If so, great! About time! Or, are the Republicans just capitalizing off of Obamamania and trying to find somebody, anybody, with that crossover appeal ? After all, in roughly a generation years most Americans will probably look like Obama…or Jindal…or some other random brown person. If that’s the motivation…I’m not so upset by that either. They’re just trying to ensure the relevance of their party for generations to come. That’s just good business.
However, if their motives are to just do something, anything, to grab the brown vote without actually seeking out qualified persons to do ,a la Sarah Palin, then they have screwed the proverbial pooch. I don’t know enough about Jindal or Steele to make judgments of their competence as elected officials. I just know the track record and knee jerk reactions of the Republican party when their back is against the wall. They do silly, dangerous things.
I just hope and pray that this isn’t what it looks like. I hope that we have some real substantive change in American politics. Don’t you ?
So…will America make as big a deal of BHM this year as in year’s past or will the prevailing thought be that since we have out first Black President that we don’t need it anymore.
I personally don’t think we’ll see an many McDonald’s commercials with Kente Cloth backdrops or Coca Cola commercials featuring the syrupy voiced old man on the stoop talking about community and togetherness and tradition as in years past.
So…do we still need to celebrate ?
I for one, still see the need for the celebration of the unique contributions of Black Americans…however we may have outlived the necessity for a separate month to do so. I would rather see the contributions of ALL Americans fully integrated into the curriculum of all k12 public schools.
That’s my BHM day 1 wish.
Yours?
My first Vlog entry. I’ll be doing more of these….no web cam next time though…the video is horrible.
Your thought ?
I’m sitting outside of my Calc III class, rejoicing because tonight’s test has been postponed due to the Presidential election and my mind is quiet.
It’s quiet because the Black American narrative that I once held so near and dear to me has changed…is changing as I write this.
We no longer have to deal with the proverbial glass ceiling. A Black man could possibly be elected President of the most powerful nation on Earth. Win or lose, his story has changed my story. Forever.
Affirmative action worked. It removed those arbitrary barriers that prevented women and people of color from advancing to the same heights that were previously reserved for White males.
This election season has proven for the first time, but far from the last, that a mixture of luck, hard work, and a bull headed single-mindedness are all one needs to be a success in America. Race and gender are no longer obstacles to be overcome but rather characteristics to be noticed like the color of one’s necktie.
I’m not so jaded by this election season’s highs and lows as to think that all challenges have been removed. Racism and sexism are still very much alive. However, the old story-lines are just too simple a narrative to describe me or us. I finally feel like a full American instead of a member of some sub-group of America.
I think for many people, myself included, today is the day that the story changes. So…what will you write?
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