I realize the irony of my title, considering everyone is always comparing Howard to Harvard or saying the infamous statement that “Howard is the black Harvard.”
Howard never has to prove itself because with bright spots like lively debates happening in the school for the black community, it’s no wonder people want to negate that by comparing us to the likes of Harvard. No, we are Howard — we are our own. We are the Mecca, and we are one of the many schools that produce greatness.
This past Friday, on Feb. 19, Howard students came out to listen to two teams of students composed of two individuals, who came together to stand or oppose some critical issues in society today. And on this day, Howard continued to establish itself as the real HU. The two topics they talked about were the following:
- Should children be allowed to vote with their parents as a liaison?
- Should Black History Month be abolished?
This live debate, seen in the hashtags #HowardvsHarvard and #TheRealHU on Twitter, was an important message that needed to be heard. This is a very timely debate for a multitude of reasons. First, for most of the new college freshman and some who have recently turned 18, this will be your first time actually voting. What with the less than desirable candidates, there's many students who have decided to sit this one out.
No. No, students must engage in voting and this was simply another opportunity to educate yourself about different aspects of voting and how that affects you. And two, it's Black History Month! #BHM And this is a time where the voice of blacks needs to be heard most.
But there is a deeper issue that I mentioned earlier, one regarding the comparison between Harvard and Howard. Over generations, Harvard has been known for its incredible law school that has produced Michelle Obama, Clive Davis, our most recent Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who died an untimely death at the age of 79. But you know who the next Supreme Court justice could be? Here's a hint, they were produced by Howard University. Her name is Kamala Harris and she is a leading candidate for the Supreme Court to replace Scalia. So not only has Howard produced the first black Supreme Court justice (Thurgood Marshall), but could possibly produce the first black female Supreme Court justice as well.
Howard has produced a collection of incredibly successful, well-known alumni that have made marks on this entire country and around the world. And they are black, and mixed, and beautiful. So why should our achievements only be considered valid when compared to a school that is predominantly white?
What? White achievement is better than Black achievement? Since we are now in 2016 which is an amplified version of the #BlackLivesMatter movement of 2015 and many years building up to that movement, we can all agree that black excellence is black excellence, and is an extremely incredible feat in white America. Whites can be exceptional, that's fine. But why is that when blacks are exceptional too, they are downplayed to be less than what they actually are? Why are they made comparisons instead of standing strongly on their own?
All of this said, the debate itself was enlightening and extremely educational, but you inevitably gain a sense of their background — the subtle entitlement of Harvard's juvenile arguments and the humility of Howard's passionate ones.
If you were there, who do you think won this battle? Drop comments for your responses.
“Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his persons, his faculties, or his possessions.” – James Madison, as stated by one of Howard's speakers
Follow up with one of @HowardU debate team members after the #HowardvsHarvard debate about #BHM. Check it out! pic.twitter.com/oFoqBx8f0h
— Winston J. Holloway (@WinstonNOTSalem) February">https://twitter.com/WinstonNOTSalem/status/7011191... 20, 2016
