(ThyBlackMan.com) For the first time in so many years, I’ve been particularly interested in watching a certain show on BET, a network that has been owned by Corporate America since 2001.
The reason I deliberately avoided watching the network for so many years is because of the negative destructive images of us that were shown on that network during it’s most destructive period in the 2000s.
Prior to tonight, I’ve seen the trailers and the hype for the newest show called “The Quad”, a show that will detail the real life experiences of HBCU campus life.
The show chronicles around a woman named Eva Fletcher, who was recently appointed the new president of the fictional Georgia A&M 
University and who’s marriage to her current husband is on the rocks and she was forced to step down as president of a liberal arts college up North because of a scandalous affair she had with a student.
Most teachers that get caught up in scandalous affairs with students are caucasoid females from the suburbs who have very serious mental issues.
Watching “The Quad” brings back old memories of young urban kids like myself watching “A Different World” back in the early 90s that inspired many of us to attend an HBCU. This show deeply explores the real life issues that currently plague HBCUs.
Intro: Here are the issues currently plague HBCUs “The Quad” Explores
1. Beauracracy – A lot of HBCUs have a huge problem with beauracracy where in certain departments like the business school where they don’t have one single African professor. That is very egregious and backwards way of thinking. HBCUs really need to clean up in this particular area by hiring more African professors in certain departments.
2. Hazing – There is also the hazing problem that happens at some HBCUs. In one scene in the pilot episode, a young sister named was assaulted by the drum major during a hazing ritual and it was later revealed in the pilot that the band director knew about the incident and tried to cover it up.
One of the most notorious incidents of hazing actually happened at Florida A&M back in 2011 when 12 former members of The Florida A&M band had assaulted drum major Robert Champion during a hazing ritual. Those 12 former band members were later found guilty and convicted, but most took plea deals to avoid prison time.
3. Financial Struggles – It’s no secret that many HBCUs are struggling financially because of not only of the lack of support for these rich paid negropeans in the mainstream, but also the struggles that many of them have to keep their financial records in good standing as well as making sure that they don’t go into debt.
Despite some honest critiques I have of HBCUs in certain areas, I love and support HBCUs because these universities are reflective and acceptable of African people like myself in America because I know some old personal friends of mine that have attended and graduated from Alabama State University, an HBCU here in my hometown of Montgomery, Alabama.
I actually loved the pilot episode of “The Quad” because it shows the proud heritage and culture of HBCUs as well as showing the inner workings behind the scenes of the campus with some top administrators engaging in shady, corrupt dealings (this does happen at some HBCUs)
The Conclusion – “The Quad” is poised have the potential it needs to either rival or top “A Different World” as the best HBCU show ever, but that remains to be seen.
Staff Writer; Kwame Shakir (aka Joe D.)