on Black Studies Programs at Black Institutions

What does it means to reflect critically on race? Is simply being black enough? Or does this ignore the fact that each of us, black or not, find ourselves situated in a hegemonic society where the dominant culture has a monopoly over knowledge-making practices?

I recently found myself talking with a historically black college and university (HBCU) graduate about whether there was a place for Black Studies at HBCUs. Morehouse College and Howard University both offer Black studies degrees, while Xavier University’s website doesn’t indicate an option for obtaining such a degree. But are these programs even necessary within an environment that stresses and insulates the black experience for students?

My answer is yes. Attending a HBCU does not automatically make me capable of transcending the patriarchal, white-washed ideas that have surrounded me, as a black female, virtually my entire life. I have soaked up many of the same societal messages as my counterparts. And as the HBCU graduate pointed out, I was and still am subject to the same classroom pedagogy as everyone else, because it is the dominant culture that determines it, and it is why schools are a primary means of transmitting lasting societal messages.

I attended a predominately white institution (PWI). I was aware of prominent institutions like Spelman, Hampton, and Howard, but I chose otherwise. And though I have often heard graduates of HBCUs say those of us who attended PWIs missed out, I would venture to say that there is no comparison­– it is simply different. Admittedly, I may be a little late in the game in finding role models who look like me and affirm my identity as compared to HBCU graduates. Yet, as a result of attending a PWI and sitting through classes where inevitably I was the only black person, I have mastered the sitting-on-your-hands-so-you-don’t-reach-out-and-smack-nobody skill.

By this I mean that comments coming from a place of ignorance rarely upset me anymore; they merely signal a teachable moment. I may choose to pursue this teachable moment or leave it for another day­­– because I’ve sat in enough white classrooms to understand that there’s a lot of teaching that needs to be done, it won’t happen overnight, and the burden does not rest solely on my shoulders. Likewise, I value the level of consciousness that I developed from having to be so deliberate in my quest to explore who I was and where I fit in as a black female in a predominately white setting. My reflections on these experiences inform what I write about and study now.

It is skills such as these, that the HBCU graduate and I agreed are the crux of reflecting critically on race. It’s deeper than just being black. There is a need to be conscious and reflective beyond just your own experience. Therefore, I cannot assume that she was better off attending a HBCU as she cannot assume I was better off attending a PWI. Whether you are at the ivory tower or the ebony tower you must still hone the skills necessary to expose any of your rigidly held beliefs, so you can see beyond your own experiences, and reflect critically in a way that might even call into question your very own notions of race.