If you read my blog... this one might make you not wanna read anymore. And I respect that. but...
First off. Congrats to the 2010 Graduates of Hampton University. You busted your ass (well, some of yall) and you made it out. Do it big. Blah blah bullshit, but it's an accomplishment, be happy that you've made it this far. You're not done, go on to do great things...
*throws record out the muthafuckin window*
This shit is right on time. I was pissed DURING graduation, I was pissed AFTER graduation, i was pissed at work today, and i was pissed when i came home.
So i got on twitter (yanno, the abyss.)
and they were talking about hbcu's. Yes. right on time.
So. Back to hampton university.
Fuck this school right now. Great that the president was there. Hooray. I support that. But you lost me when you didn't even MENTION. MENTION. the two seniors who passed in completely TRAGIC fashion this school year. Granted, one of them was like a little brother to me, so i might be a little bit biased. But one of the reasons i went to a hbcu was because I grew up in a white neighborhood (where i was one of 3 black kids in the whole 2nd grade... i think it was 1 of 20 for the whole elementary school or some shit) and i wanted to understand my people better. I didn't want to be the delusional "educated" out of touch black person. I didn't want to be afraid to be around black people. I didn't want to bring home a white girl (lol, sorry). I didn't want to think (or be brainwashed) into thinking that all black people had to offer was the headline on the news.
I'm glad the president was there. That gives me both ends of the spectrum. That gives me the selfish, triflin, negroes who are alumni, boosters, students of hampton university, and then the president.
Let me stop. All of yall don't fit in this, like all people who graduated from Stanford (if you don't know me, that's the ONLY school i didn't get in.. so i lust.) are geniuses or some shit. Don't let the degree and the seal fool you. And i guess that's my thing. Just cause yall graduated from a hbcu, don't mean you my brother/sister.
Let's keep it real... If you graduate from a pwi.. (i'll use the example of the ones i applied to for the rest of the convo) If you're a journalism grad... What's more likely to get you interviewed? The Mizzou/Northwestern Degree or the Howard/Hampton degree? And i'm going to stop, because i know grads from ALL of those schools, and they KNOW i love them dearly, and they are some talented mf'as(talent will shine wherever the fuck you are.). But I'm also not doing the hiring. It's like when the beautiful chocolate woman is walking down the street... and they say, "Oh she's cute for a dark skinned woman" like being fucking chocolate is a handicap. I hope that makes sense.
Ok wait. I'm from the english department at hampton university. The word signifyin and coon may not be appreciated anywhere else the way we do. (well coon, but... digress) I have PRIDE in my department. that was/is my family. Many a night explicating brought us together, and that's why i still beat myself up about wanting to teach there. I LOVE MY DEPARTMENT. and i have no problem saying that. But that was as big as my community existed at hampton. I mean sure you find some people that you care about, but overall? I was really let down. There's a few professors that had a major impact, and i appreciate that (ESPECIALLY being in education), but maybe my perception of actually being a community was skewed. Damn you A Different World.
I should ask my friend about why he thought little hampton and big hampton existed.
Little hampton were the people who were really interested in making change amongst the things that went on, and then big hampton was just the student body. I wasn't a lame in college, so it aint no hostility with that. Little hampton didn't consist of a bunch of awkward "revolutionaries" that would ostracize people at a blink... ok not ALL of them. But what bothered me was that little hampton was getting smaller, and big hampton was getting... well bigger. Of course president harvey likes his money so he'll just let ANYONE in. (not true at all, but that's my sentiment. Have paycheck, will travel.) Now let me step back. Big hampton isn't full of stupid people. These people are geniuses. no sarcasm. There were some extremely brilliant people who came thru big hampton, great gpa's and in grad/law/med school... I'm with it. What i don't get is WHY they're there.
and now we're back to graduation.
One thing Dr. Foster forced down his thesis class's throats was the idea of community. We were so fucking oblivious to what each other was saying/trying to say, that we couldn't help each other. We were so stuck in books, that we always thought that some dead philosopher (and gates... who just used way too many fuckin words to say nothing :-x ) was the end all be all of what we knew. Like we had excluded and discounted our community from being at the table with this discussion, just because it was intellectual. It wasn't like we hated each other. we hung out with each other after class, drank together, and just chilled. We were friends when it was time to bullshit, but we couldn't use each other as a resource when shit was important? Bullshit. I think i got it (because I was older than the folks i took thesis with... that's another story) but they didn't. But WE (the community) grew into understanding. why? Because the thesis class before us came back, called us, helped us, guided us... and shit like that. It wasn't no finding forrester type shit, but there was a bond between the people who had already handled it and the people who wanted to be there. It's like Reggie Miller talking to Steph Curry about how to shoot. And suddenly It made sense. and then we have crosstalk. we're looking at the same thing, but see two different things. and we talk about it, and we LEARN. we have applied what we see as truth, and had an intellectual conversation about it. Community works together to get the job done. After we had individual mock defenses outside of class as a community, we defended our thesis... and after that we celebrated. TOGETHER. I aint saying you gotta be all up on each other, but what i'm saying is, we all are in it together. If some of those english majors aint call me before class, I woulda missed a few tests. That's appreciated.
Graduation. No reference of 2 INTEGRAL parts of the graduating class' identity. If you came to hampton in 06 and you didn't know cousin randy or theo... you didn't really go to hampton. A great gesture would of been to have the parents get their child's degree from the president. A graduation memorial. A moment of silence. I wonder if the family even got tickets for graduation. I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE i just missed it, and that's my fault if i did. but damn i dont remember ANYTHING. If a part of my community isn't with us anymore.. I'm doing everything i can to keep his spirit with us. But that's just me. I'm an old head. And here's the transition.
The culture is changing at hampton. I've been there long enough to notice (LMAO) and i don't like it. In previous years... they woulda NEVER let that shit happen. Before facebook and twitter was big... we were tighter. Ask about the class of 08 and all the trouble we got into as a whole. Members of the same department weren't even clapping for each other when they walked across the stage. I have memories of friends FALLING OUT because THEY did it. THEY remember all the nights THEY worked had, and THEY got thru it to get to this point, cause THEY realized it wasn't JUST ABOUT THEM. and you're telling me you can't even fucking clap for a classmate? It wasn't like it was 3082503850285 of them. it's like 25 of them. Granted everyone is tired, and it is your day too... but SHIT. The identity of people just scares me. And THEY'RE NOT STUPID !! that's the scary part. These book smart folks scare the SHIT outta me. they can apply some logic when it comes to writing but can't see the ramifications of not being part of this community. Being in a selfish, I'ma get mine bubble while everyone around you gets exploited WILL catch up to you. And maybe this
isn't about hampton. Maybe this is about my people as a whole. and i just happen to be sparked by some events that just HAPPENED to be at Hampton. There's a tradition that happens in the english department after graduation, and most english majors(who are there now)can't even tell you what it is. Why? because the school let the professor who started the tradition (or at least upheld it) Leave to go to western kentucky university. Black man, leaves hbcu for wku. Hmm. That's fine. one monkey (no pun.. lmao) doesn't stop the show. These graduates were supposed to carry the legacy. Do what those before you did, and pass it on. Community. And they didn't. And it KILLED ME.
Want to know what the tradition was?
To take a picture as a group, showing your degrees. with the professors who helped you get to this point.
And now it's gone.
Oh my community.
Edit: I don't know it all. And I dont have a soapbox. And I'll write more about this, i promise. If you disagree, and you think i'm full of shit, PLEASE. LET ME KNOW. that isn't a challenge, but i just really value what people have to bring to the table. And I'm not trying to downplay ANYONES education. a degree is hard work, fuck what you're talkin bout. lol. I'm just ranting, cause i'm worried. I'm watching the thing that i thought that was posta save the people (education) go the wrong way.
And, uhhh.. please don't tell president harvey on me.
Who's with me!?
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2 comments:
Hmm, there are so many comments that ran through my head when I read this. lol.
First, I agree that it was odd that there was no recognition at the commencement for the two students who passed this year. In November 2005, a dear friend of mine passed away suddenly. My high school kept his memory alive the entire school year, and there was a special recognition for him and his family during the graduation ceremony. However, it was a considerably smaller group of people that comprised my high school graduating class. So I can't expect the same thing from HU's graduation ceremony. With that said, I agree that a moment of silence was warranted. Additionally, I'd like to note that we did not just lose two students this year. We lost quite a few people, including my cousin, Dr. DePriest, who was Dean of the School of Science. That man attended HU, came back and taught at his alma mater, and then died after so many years of service. I was devastated last semester. But they weren't the only ones who passed. We also lost a librarian and at least one other person. There was no mention of them, either.
Second, I think that the English dept becomes a family for those who care enough to make it one. I think you could get this anywhere--people who only care enough about their classes to barely pass them. But for those who care more about the experiences inside the classroom than those outside of it, those are the people who are rewarded. I am extremely blessed in that I have found friends, mentors, and confidants in the majority of the faculty in the English dept. However, not everyone realizes the importance of those bonds.
Third, I, too, came from a predominately white population (before my family and I moved here to VA). I was the "token" black person. However, I never expected to become part of a community at HU. Perhaps this is my fault. I had not heard that HBCUs were more nurturing or whatever...at least, I didn't hear that until after I got there. But I was also one of those students who attended HU kicking and screaming the whole way through. Maybe it's because I have a more personal stake in HU than other students because of my family's connection to the school. Through them, I realized just how effed up the administration truly is. I can't support that, and perhaps that's why I never sought to make HU my community; it was just a temporary place for me to get an education. But I digress. I am sorry that you were disillusioned, like so many others, while at Hampton. I can only imagine how disappointing it was.
Fourth (and I'll end with this, lest my comment becomes as long as your blog entry lol), I can't say whether the culture of HU is changing or has changed. I don't see much of a difference, but you've spent more time directly in that environment. Also, I'm not really a super social/outgoing person, though I am rather ambitious. I was focused on excelling academically, so when I wasn't doing school work or extracurricular activities, I was running for city council or serving on council-appointed boards. haha! What I can say is this: I'm worried about my--our--department. We started to talk about it on Sunday. I won't mention the faculty here. But as far as the students go, I expect more. There are so many opportunities available for English majors, and too few of them actually step up to the challenge. Too many just do the minimum and expect to be rewarded. Why commit four years of your life to English if you're not invested enough to be the very best English major you can be? What's the point?
But alas, those are just my thoughts. Thank you for yours. :-)
I'm not sure how to respond to this post but I agree with some of your thoughts.
There was so much going on at graduation that I cannot remember if Theo and or Randy was mentioned during graduation. I do not want to make excuses, but maybe I am more comfortable excepting them because I knew neither Randy nor Theo personally, but there may have been a time factor in the graduation ceremony that prevented it. But I do feel a few fleeting moments could have been spared to remember those two Hamptonians. In fact, I didn't know Theo was a member of QT7 until he passed. I myself was consumed with many emotions, happiness, joy, sorrow, fear, at commencement and so I may have neglected to cheer on some of my fellow English majors at times like I should have.
I am probably going off on a tangent but I think the climate at Hampton is changing. I personally think the admission standards at Hampton University are evaporating into the sky.
Here is a story:
During somebody's week (Springfest week?) in the Student Center, the atrium and its tables were decorated with spring-like ornamentation. The tables had leis (Hawaiian flower wreath necklaces) on them. A male freshman student sat at one of the tables and began ripping up all of the flowers on the tables. He was DESTROYING the decorations and leaving them on the table or brushing them onto the floor. I was near the boy and watched in disbelief as the student's friend questioned him "What the hell are you doing?" The student's response was "I'm a nigga; that's what niggas do: they destroy shit"
I was dumbfounded....
I could not believe in 2010, in Hampton Virginia, at My Home by the Sea, Hampton University, a student had uttered "I'm a nigga - that's what niggas do."
As a Hampton community, the entire student body should have risen up as one and slain that student: he was attempting to set us - the race - back millions of years.
But enough of my tangent, I think the English department has become (always been?) a family. Although, I must admit that it was two warring factions: the Carmines family and the Buchanon family (kind of like the Capulets and the Montagues).... at this point in my response, I may have lost site about what I'm actually responding to so I'm just gonna go with it!!
Okay. As far as changing climate at Hampton, I think are standards are disappearing as well. The freshmen have all but said "F*CK YOU, OGDEN ATTIRE!!" They wear pajamas EVERYWHERE. Sidenote: Just because you are wearing Polo Ralph Lauren pajamas does NOT make it any less UNACCEPTABLE. There's a lot of label whore guys at Hampton now. You had to have seen them, the ones with the "Gucci" hat to match their "Gucci" shirt to match their "Gucci" shoes to match their "Gucci" belt and they finish it off with matching "Gucci" boxers because these boys (usually from New York) MUST sag their pants low enough so you can see the designer boxers. Makes me want to bludgeon myself in the eyes. Hampton girls (because they most certainly are NOT women) are getting beside themselves with the tights. I love tights on a woman just like the next man but some of these girls (usually from DC) have just.... I can't. I just can't. Next topic, .... I think I just wanted to rant for a bit...
In hindsight, Brandon, there was a service for Theo after he passed. Students were even excused from class. I'll be at Hampton for grad school so I intend to help the ENG majors when I can. I've never said "She's cute to be dark-skinned" because that's just dumb. But Dr. Winfield had already alluded that I might be a little naive to racial nuances. I love my English department: Dr. Carmines and Ms. Brunson are two of the English department's shining stars. I guess I missed out on the Foster experience. I would have taken a picture of all of the English majors had Hampton not forbidden me to have my own camera...
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