A Victory For Everyone

I must admit to feeling "some type of way" upon learning that Hampton University had elected Nursing student, Nikole Churchill, the first non-Black Homecoming Queen in its 141-year history. Initially, when Antwoine presented the news article, I offered no opinion, only commentary on the accompanying photograph. It speaks volumes.

The young woman on the right was hopefully awarded Ms. Congeniality. She wears the expression of a gracious contestant. If not pleased with the winning contestant, she has enough sense to know the value of a photo op. The two on the left clearly show signs of discontent and disbelief. I bet they got together after the dance, smoked a blunt and *kicked that white girls back in. I can almost envision the exchange, peppered with exhortations about “that bitch;” punctuated by exaggerated hand gestures and neck rolls.

*To kick someone’s back in means to speak poorly about someone behind their back. Though not a physical act, it can lead to one.

Following the Civil War institutions were established to educate newly freed slaves. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) opened to meet the higher education needs of African Americans. Most of the public schools were founded by state legislatures between 1870 and 1910, sixteen of them in 1890 when a land grant specified states using federal land-grant funds must either make their schools open to both blacks and whites or allocate money for segregated black colleges to serve as an alternative to white schools.

Prior to 1870 Blacks themselves, supported by the American Missionary Association (AMA) and the Freedmen's Bureau, were responsible for setting up private colleges and universities for the education of Blacks. Hampton is among those institutions and can trace its origins to September 17, 1861. On that date, under what is now called the Emancipation Oak Tree, Mary Smith Peake taught the first classes in defiance of a Virginia law which forbid teaching slaves, free blacks and mulattos to read or write.

Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute was legally chartered in 1870 on the grounds of a former plantation with a magnificent view of the great harbor of Hampton Roads. It became simply Hampton Institute in 1930 and Hampton University in 1984, beginning the friendly rivalry between Hampton and Howard University with each claiming the title “The Real HU.” Umm… that would be Howard. No shade.

Hampton’s most noted scholar is Booker T. Washington, who arrived from West Virginia in 1872 at the age of 16. After working his way through Hampton, he went on to attend Wayland Seminary in Washington D.C. Upon graduation there, he returned to Hampton and taught classes. In 1881, he was sent to Alabama at age 25 to head another new HBCU. This new Institution eventually became Tuskegee University. Washington built Tuskegee into a substantial school and became nationally famous as an educator, orator, and fund-raiser. His work ultimately caused over 5,000 small community schools to be built for the betterment of Black education in the South.

The HBCU has outlived its intended purpose, but not its need. There should always exist a space where Black students have a defining voice and their culture is celebrated for its rich heritage and expansive contribution to society, even if it doesn’t reflect the actual world. To survive, the HBCU must be academically and financially competitive in the marketplace. They must expand curriculums and offer degree programs that prepare students to stand confidently and competently beside students from the Ivies. Many are meeting the challenge.

Though they can’t maintain a working website, Howard University’s Hospital is a Level One trauma center, highly ranked among America’s best hospitals, offering comprehensive healthcare to the surrounding community. Savannah State University offers one of the best Marine Sciences Programs in the country on a campus comprised of 165 acres of two biologically diverse and important coastal ecosystems. Hampton University’s School of Nursing, offering degree programs on the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels, is approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing, and is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. That Ms. Churchill chose Hampton above so many other schools she could have attended is a testament to its excellence.

I encourage everyone displeased with the new queen to get over it, especially Hampton students and alum. More than anyone they should recognize the increased value of their degree and thank the white girl for the boost.