HBCUnity…Where is the love

Last weekend I had the privilege to attend the first HBCU Think Tank at Tennessee State University. Some people thought the event was going to be one big party because many schools such as Howard and Hampton were going to be in attendance.
However, most people figured out the weekend would be an excellent chance to network with others and share ideas. Boy was I wrong!
I have never been in one place with so many narrow-minded individuals who allowed preconceived notions, negativity, and pure jealousy to interfere with what was supposed to be a “Think Tank.”
Of course, the delegates from Southern University outshined all of the other schools in attendance because we showed pride for ourselves as well as our school. We were the hypest at the pep rally and we were on time for every event (funny huh?).
We represented THE Southern University with the utmost dignity and respect. Many people had a hard time dealing with this and often mistook our confidence for arrogance.
This elementary mindset placed a rift not only between many schools, but also between various campus organizations.
This disturbed me, considering the fact that our entire purpose of being at the “Think Tank” was to utilize each other’s resources and continue the struggle to make our HBCUs better. We as Black young adults today need to put away all of these petty and childish acts.
The same problems that we are trying to combat in mainstream White America is the same problems we are falling for among ourselves.
How can we be a positive force in our struggle to uplift our community, enlighten the impressionable minds of our brothers and sisters, and blaze new frontiers to make our nation a better place?
Many of us experience “selective amnesia” when it comes to remembering how many people fought and died for us to be able to have a quality education.
Let me remind you that since 1856 with the establishment of Lincoln University, HBCUs have grown into 117 institutions that continue to shape and mold the minds of African Americans.
Today our HBCUs are experiencing problems ranging from misallocation of funds to threats of losing accreditation.
Even though this problem may not exist on your particular campus, you shouldn’t turn the other cheek to the problems that may plague your fellow HBCUs.
I know that every school has its own internal problems, but it is time for us to look at the entire picture and uphold the livelihood and existence of this great institution of learning.
For years many people have opposed and looked down on HBCUs and for us to fight among ourselves and to feed into the negativity will only make us weaker as a whole.
Dr. Cornel West once stated that “the major threat to blacks in America has not been oppression, but rather the loss of hope and absence of meaning.”
I encourage all of my brothers and sisters who attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities to heed the words of Dr. West and reflect on our true purpose in attending our respective institutions.
If we don’t uplift one another now and stand together, we will continue to fall prey to outside forces.