By: Marquise Drayton (’19), Creative Director
I think you better call on Tyrone, word to Erykah Badu. And tell him come on, but he’s probably helping himself to your shit. Recently, I’ve been on a crusade of visiting different schools. I do this to gain not only an image of where I’d be environmentally for grad school but view other institutions that I considered for undergrad besides UNC. As a black person, I thought it was very important that I stop by HBCUs as those schools were for us, by us. Last summer break I visited Fayetteville State University & North Carolina Central University for the second time. This spring break I visited North Carolina A&T State University. Later, I’d drive to Atlanta to visit my friend at Morehouse College. We made stops by Clark-Atlanta and Spelman during my time there as well.
Admittedly, I regret going to UNC sometimes. I don’t believe that an HBCU experience can be replicated at a PWI. From its food to its unity, they are unmatched. To have an HBCU experience, you must go & attend one. There’s authenticity in it. But this isn’t merely about PWI v. HBCU as it’s important that black seek to uplift themselves in higher education, no matter where it is. I’d just prefer an HBCU for graduate school to balance my blackness as far as how I was educated. Coming from a majority-black school in Charlotte to a predominately-white school in Chapel Hill was a culture shock. Therefore after four or so years here, I’d like to return to my roots.
The Black Educational Mecca of Howard University aka “The Real HU” was on my list… Until Tyrone took my attention away along with the undergraduates’ financial aid money. Six employees were fired for gross misconduct and embezzlement of funds from Howard’s Financial Aid Office. It’s reported that over $1 million was taken. Tyrone Hankerson, a third-year law student who graduated from Howard from undergrad, was accused of stealing over $400,000. He’s the face of the case, with photos of him wearing expensive clothes and taking expensive trips going viral. Next month, he’ll be graduating law school. But the students are still in protest of the event, championing Rihanna’s “Bitch Better Have My Money” song in the student aid office. Now Tyrone has come out denying these claims. And while we don’t have clear answers yet as to if he did it, I’d like to highlight the importance of not stealing from your community as there were five others who may have participated. In embezzling from an HBCU, especially one that’s private, you’re contributing to the already damage that the denigrating state is trying to do in defunding the school. In addition, you just don’t mess with people’s money. That and food, those are big no-no’s. An act such as that is like the slave who snitches on the others to massa when they’re planning to escape. To those employees, it’s wasn’t about black v. white but green. Now they must see red in addressing the issue. This just goes to show that every school has issues and it’s not as sunny as I thought it would be at HBCUs.
