Take Pride

You know if there is one thing that we as students, staff, alumni, and members of black communities take pride in, it is our black colleges. The black college atmosphere is one unlike no other. A single semester can be viewed as a powerful epic in which the plight of the minority student is demonstrated by academic toil, social achievement, and collective recreational ecstasy. And let’s face it folks, there is no experience in the world comparable to the black college football experience. That’s right, we take pride in our schools.
But do we take pride in our schools’ surroundings? You know-the community you see before approaching the campus itself. Do you know what schools such as Howard University, Fayetteville State University, Texas Southern University, and Southern University (among other black colleges and universities) have in common? They are either surrounded or located near a poverty stricken or “urban ” community which is infested with crime, ragged buildings, projects, and a seemingly lack of public funding. The only support that these areas appear to exhibit is those from the “mom and pop” stores or the ever-so-popular Church’s Chicken on the corner.
Now note that this is my opinion, but I have come to find that quite a few citizens tend to agree with me to a certain extent. I mean honestly, take a good look at Scenic Highway in Baton Rouge. If you hit one too many potholes, your suspension on your car will be too weak to drive over the hump. Better yet, have you all been to the Texas Southern University surrounding community?  Or did the police cut you off because they were on their way to a crime scene? Howard’s surrounding community? Or did the crackhead try to rob you at the stoplight? Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly great places to frequent in some of these communities; and this view is not to be an insult on the people in these communities, but I do feel that things could be better. And I am going to take the risk in saying so.
We need to call upon our congresspersons, our representatives (national, state, and local) and insist that some sort of beautification project be put into effect. There currently is a beautification project in progress at Norfolk State University, in Norfolk, Virginia. The area surrounding the campus once cradled by crime and depreciated property values is now embraced with a clean up that Mr. Clean would be highly envious. An area infested with crack houses and run-down projects is landscaped with beautiful homes and property, along with a decent low-income housing development program.
So it now for us to bring it to the attention of your chancellor or university system’s president. After all, in recruiting students, academically or athletically, the city in which the school is located is recruiting the students also. A parent may see the surrounding areas and consequently fear for their child’s safety. They may just simply see the outskirts of campus and feel that the city or the college doesn’t take enough interest in the supporting communities. A college campus’s surrounding area is an intricate part of recruitment.
Now if something is in the works that our communities may not know of, then those who are making it happen, enlighten us. Maybe there is something that we can do to help. Maybe businesses would like to invest in some kind of clean-up project. Let’s not think that everything is ok, just because our schools defy others expectations athletically and excel academically or because our schools have bands that jam…
…We can’t jam at a school without students.
And that’s the way I see it…