When racism isn’t in the picture, how do classism and elitism affect HBCU students?
Since 2nd grade, Howard University has been my dream school–the crème de la crème of HBCUs.
Everyone around me boasted about the possibilities at Howard. The culture. The students. The opportunities. The fact that you could relate to so many people.
So why did I still feel like an outsider in my own HBCU?
Even in a virtual environment, I felt out of place. As a girl from Arkansas that came up in a single-parent household, I felt like no one could relate to what I had to go through. The fighting tooth and nail and the stress of having to pay enrollment fees and every fee under the sun. It seemed that Howard was a place of opulence, pop outs, and get-away trips out of the country “just because”.
And some students, unfortunately, looked down upon lower income people here. Sometimes it was as subtle as mentioning their exclusive $5000 handbags (yes, that happened). And sometimes it was as blatant as bragging about living in expensive DC condos while students still lived with their parents.
I didn’t understand; how could an HBCU still carry hidden biases and attitudes?
Enter classism and elitism.
In my second installment of my segment “The Bison Life”, I want to be more candid when it comes to talking about my life as a Howard Bison.
The good, bad, and the ugly. This is the ugly.
But what is “classism” and “elitism”?
Classism is essentially the prejudice against someone from a particular social class–usually against someone of the lower class. Elitism is the belief that the elite–people with a higher intellect, social status, etc.-should be the governing class.
This can be seen in higher education in general. For the purpose of this post, I want to explore ways classism and elitist attitudes affect HBCUs like Howard University.
First, I want to share an Instagram post from Impact that inspired many of the points I’ll be sharing about classist and elitist attitudes within HBCUs.
More “prestigious” HBCUs are more expensive, so it’s no doubt that middle class and upper-class Black people tend to attend these colleges and universities. And it’s definitely no doubt that more expensive colleges tend to forget about lower-income families.
So, let’s talk about it.
Internet/Technology Dependency
With the pandemic, many college students are forced to learn in a virtual environment. This requires sufficient internet and technology. The heavy emphasis that is placed on students to have these things is stressful. Sometimes not everyone has the most up-to-date software or even the most reliable internet connection–especially if they’re completing the semester at home.
Although most universities supply Wi-Fi, it’s still important to think about how some students may not have access to the technology needed to get their assignments completed.
Textbooks
Why do college students have to pay for textbooks? If a student, especially one attending a university like Howard where the tuition is fairly hefty, has to pay for access codes and text books just so they can access their assignments, what’s the point? How is this fair for college students who have already paid their tuition?
This just places more roadblocks ahead for students and sucks more unnecessary money out of their bank accounts. Making students pay just to access their homework assignments is predatory and exploitive.
Elitist Attitudes & Classism
This is a doozy.
The “Black Ivy League”–a group of HBCUs known for its prestige–consists of several HBCUs: Howard, Hampton, Spelman, Dillard, Tuskegee, Fisk, and Morehouse. In the black community, these are the schools that are most talked about because they attract the most privileged and high-ranking students.
Some students within these universities tend to look down on smaller and less-talked about HBCUs while some students in these same schools look down upon lower income classmates. There’s this notion that if you don’t attend the “Black Ivy League”, your school isn’t worthy of praise. Still, if you attend these schools and weren’t raised in an upper-class lifestyle, you’re an outcast to some.
In many instances, respectability comes into play when we talk about elitism and classism. Although we’re predominately black, how we’re presented to the “outside world” is still in the back of our minds. The way we dress. How we act. The way we talk.
In Conclusion
Elitism and classism are ugly traits, but it’s been around as long as these institutions have existed. Don’t you think it’s time for a change?
Obviously, I’ve met more welcoming and open-minded people at Howard, but I still wanted to discuss how classism and elitism plays a role in HBCUs–no matter how big or small.
This is something that has been on my mind ever since I first matriculated here, but after finding my group of people and being able to be open and vulnerable, I felt the need to talk about my experiences here.
Shout out to you guys, and shout out to the readers who read every blog. If you haven’t read my latest blog post, check it out here.
I love you immensely.
