Earlier this week, several Howard University officials were fired after the university officials learned of misappropriation of financial aid funds. It wasn't long before black twitter caught wind of the story and began to, like we always do, troll. My favorite tweet of them all is below.
What I didn't expect in the midst of the Tyrone jokes was yet another trite debate on PWIs vs HBCUs. The debate at this point is: While I don’t have any regrets for choosing to attend a Predominately White Institution (PWI) rather than an HBCU, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the emotional labor that accompanies that of a PWI.
Often in class, I’m the only African American. While in recent years the buzz word, diversity, has pushed many universities to take a closer look at the racial makeup of their incoming classes.
Rather than adding another emotional narrative to the ever ending debate on which schooling system is better for African Americans, I’d rather offer advice to those who are attending a PWI just like me.
The most important tool a person of color can do at a PWI is to find a support system. This doesn’t mean all of your friends have to look like you. To some students, this is a requirement. I wouldn’t recommend getting so caught up in this because every African American or student of color doesn’t have the same experience or values as you.
Your relationships should occur organically. While most of my closest friends are black, we didn’t bond over having the same exact experience because my experience as an African American is quite different from my Ghanaian or Jamaican best friend. Relationships depend on chemistry.
You simply need to find people who take you as you are completely. This support system should be aware of issues such as structural violence because explaining your existence can be emotionally laborious.
The next tip I would recommend is to network and look for mentors. As a freshman, it was comforting to see a familiar face on campus every now and then to receive advice on everything. This advice can range from where you can get your hair done or even which professors to avoid. A community is the most powerful tool students of color can use to help shape their experience at a PWI.
Lastly and most importantly, I would recommend getting involved.
Representation matters. So while your freshman experience might not have been one where you were affirmed by leadership or your interests were represented by student leaders, by getting involved you can change that experience for incoming freshman so that their experience is not one that was quite as emotionally laborious as your own.
