“Where’s the pride? Why the prejudice?”

"Black History Month" has came and went (which is EVERY month to me, but that's neither here, nor there)

There are a few things that I would like to get off my chest.

Who the hell have we become?

A black institution with no black pride? The state of our race is at a deficit and it’s nobody's fault but our own. HBCUs should uphold standards of high scholastic efforts and great esteem. They should be a safe haven for people that look like us.  It should be an honor for us to be here, and what do we have to show for it as of today? Nothing. Our institution lacks pride and dignity. We no longer take pride in how we present, how we communicate with one another, and how we coexist. There’s no respect for our fellow brothers and sisters or our elders. We as a people are no longer proud. We are no longer on one accord, therefore it seems our ancestors fell down on the job. 

     We have now created more of a divide within our race by “categorizing” our skin tones and ranking some “better” than others. Elitism and economic standings have also played a major role in the divide of our community. Though these things have nothing to do with the fact that we should all be one, they still act as barriers keeping us apart. This behavior is NOT what our grandparents and great grandparents fought for. The state of our country is already in disarray and it has consumed our race just as quickly as it began. In the future I think it would be in our best interest to create a  better sense of community. 

     In doing so I think it would be conducive for us all to ban together. We should have more of a sense of comradery in order to be the change that we want to see. I know this is possible because during the “Black Lives Matter” era in the pandemic everyone came together to fight systematic racism. If it was possible in such a short span of time, it is definitely still possible. We should also place less of a focus on the many shades of black, and place more of a focus on being black. We should take pride in our skin and celebrate EVERY shade instead of just placing specific shades on pedestals. Let’s put an end to the divide that has consumed us and ban together in order for us to regain our reign as the royalty we once were. 

Written by: Dionne J, Lewis