KELVIN CARTER | STAFF WRITER
“It’s impossible to separate color from itself without conflict. “ – WOK
Since school has started I’ve been listening to the radio each morning. I’ve listened to famous Black American radio show host such as Ricky Smiley, Russ Parr, and Steve Harvey. Aside from being comedians, I’ve noticed the attention and support for education they broadcast on their shows. These hosts as well as a majority of other people put more emphasis on higher education in Historically Black Colleges and Universities, (HBCU). As we all know our Black Community is lacking further education. Which is why we support black students being accepted to an HBCU; clapping our hands and saying, “Thank God, he/she at least has dreams of furthering their education”.
What about the black students who attend the Predominantly White Institutions, (PWI)? Making it more personal, what about the black students who attend NC State? Are we looked over because we are outnumbered on our campus? As listening to the radio stations, I always tend to hear the host give shout outs to the HBCU’s, attend their homecoming or some event that happens on their campus, or give scholarships to students at an HBCU.
The statement being made is that HBCU’s receive much more attention than the black students that attend PWI’s. Whose fault is it that this occurs effortlessly? The blame should be evenly shared upon all parties, the black community within the PWI as well as the black community and the black community that ignores us. Our own black community wouldn’t support anything educational as much as we would support a state’s fair.
There is obviously a difference in type of schools and the type of education offered, but a degree is better than no degree. So of course we promote higher education, but to the black community it is mentioned that an HBCU education is the best education and the PWI education is an education far beyond reach. However the black community within a PWI is the ones who prove that a PWI education is reachable and accomplishable. So why is it that the Black community in a PWI is not being paid enough attention to or recognized by the general black community?
A solution to this case, I would suggest for the black community within a PWI to gather together and make themselves more noticeable. Not just within your own campus but also among the black community. It’s time now for the radio stations and morning show hosts to recognize the extra effort we put on ourselves for an education while continuing being a minority.
