(rough draft. hopefully this'll run in one of this month's papers... ill be back to edit the spacing & stuff later tonite.)
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This will be my only Rambler contribution concerning black history month. Just as the title suggests, this article will simply be a list of things that I’d like to see happen on Transy’s campus during black history month. The beautiful thing about the items on this list, if I may be cliché a moment, is that if executed correctly, they will truly be the gifts the keep on giving. So let’s get right in to it:
1.Stop making me take the same course about old dead white guys over and over again without offering some alternative classes that I can identify with as a black woman. As an English major, I swear it feels like I’ve taken the same ancient British Literature class called by a different name no less than once each semester. The fact that the historical and literary contributions of my ancestors (who, might I add, are your ancestors as well) are never required material and have no concrete place in “our” curriculum more or less tells me that this institution values those contributions far less than it does those of mighty Europatriarchy. 20th Century African-American Lit is no less important to one’s understanding of the written word than is 17th Century British Lit. I hate to break it to you, but there is much more to the history of the word than John Donne’s amazing sexist Renaissance poetry. Really, there is.
2. That being said, add more diverse courses to the curriculum and offer the few courses we already have that pertain to “minorities” more than once every three or four years. Give those of our campus community who would actually care enough to take such courses an ample opportunity to do so. Spreading them out over a four year period does not make them seem more plentiful.
3. Black history is not enough. Throw some Latin American history in the mix. Asian American, too. Native American. Gay & lesbian. More women’s history. Diversity goes far beyond black and white, and we need to move beyond that notion.
4. In those preexisting courses where matters of race/diversity are discussed, do not look to me to be the voice of black America. Stop asking me what black people think about this or how black people feel about that. I can tell you what I think personally, but I am not equipped to speak on behalf of such a diverse group of people. And stop glancing at me during class to validate or confirm the statements that you make in discussion or the thoughts you entertain in private.
5. By the same token, do not keep said thoughts and sentiments to yourself for fear that you may offend me in giving them voice. I’d much rather you speak your true mind and offend me rather than hold in a potentially damaging notion that you may have about “race” as it stands. If your keep it in, it can’t b e discussed, and without discussion there is no development of the idea. No development = no personal growth. Do not censor yourself for me.
6. And speaking of speaking, please don’t feel compelled to show off your rap video vocabulary when talking to me. Fight the urge to call me “sista,” “homie,” “girlfriend,” “G,” “dawg,” “money,” or any combination thereof. I’ve mastered the King’s English just as everyone else here has (I’m an English major, for Pete’s sake), and I am fully capable of communicating in a non-Ebonic tongue. Talk to me as you would anyone else. (Addendum: stop complicating the handshake. There is no special manual greeting that only black people know, and pretending that you know it will not win you any points in my Big Book of Dopeness. Quit it.)
7. In addition to the way you speak to me, do not be afraid to speak to the men and women who work on this campus cleaning your bathrooms and serving your meals. Thank your housekeepers. Say hello to the cafeteria workers. Smile at the groundskeepers. Treat them as something more than your personal servants because really—they aren’t.
8. But back to me, please make an effort to memorize my name in relation to my face. There are only a handful of black female on this campus; at least try to recognize each of our identities when you come into our individual acquaintances. Though they are wonderful women, I do not enjoy being called Candis, Brandy, Brittany, or Felicia (especially since Felicia graduated from here two years ago. Come on, people).
9. If you’d like to compliment me on my hair, that’s fine. I enjoy being complimented as much as anyone else. But please refrain from petting and/or caressing me and my tresses. I am not a cat or some newly groomed showhorse. Do not exoticize me. And stop asking me if I can make your hair “do that.” I can’t.
10. Can we please play some more varied and inclusive music at the basketball games? Could we possibly get a warm-up CD with a bit more variety? Would it be too much trouble for the band to play something other than that “Hey, hey, baby/I wanna know/Would you be my girl” song? Andre3000 of Outkast had a band on stage performing “Hey Ya” with him at the Grammy Awards recently. They sounded great, and I know our band could too! I know this may seem miniscule and maybe even a bit stereotypical, but my point is valid—music is a great cultural language. Switch it up and show us you care about catering to everyone’s taste.
11. Speaking of everyone, please recognize that the problems with diversity on campus are indeed everyone’s problem. Stop leaving these issues up to the brown folk to deal with. These issues affect the entire campus and we cannot do it alone. Our numbers are too small. On this note, I challenge the members of Voice to do more than tell me what a great article I wrote on diversity as a women’s issue. I challenge the whole of the campus to do more than nod in agreement. I also challenge the administration to recognize that a few strategically placed brown faces in business suits in no way solves our problems. Do better. Do more.
12. I also challenge the whole of this campus to treat its women better. This includes students, faculty, professors, and staff. We’ve lost way too many female professors during my career here, and from what I understand, rape is becoming an epidemic on our fair campus. Some fundamental changes must be made.
I would like to thank the Rambler for not seeking me out to write any articles for Black History Month. I appreciate not being charged with bearing the weight of being responsible for the acknowledgement of black history on my back this year. But this brings me to my thirteenth and final wish—please recognize that simply reporting and recapping the events that the same few people have coordinated in honor of the month is not enough. Do some research. Tell a story. Become active in the celebration—don’t leave it up to us. I extend that sentiment to the rest of the campus.
