(ThyBlackMan.com) Do you want to know what I consider embarrassing? It is that moment prior to lecturing that I am forced to listen to some stranger read off my accomplishments and achievements prior to stepping in front of an audience of strangers.
Despite what my students believe, I am an “introverted” person who avoids interacting with others “by any means necessary.” In many ways, I am like brother Malcolm X during those pensive moments prior to walking onto a stage in that I pray that whoever is introducing me follows the request to “make it plain.”
One thing is for certain, if you ever chance upon one of my students, they will tell you that there are two certainties about me —
(a) my undying love and commitment to my son
and
(b) that I am a proud graduate of THE Ohio State University. Dare I say that the vast majority of my students would conjecture that if it is possible to love an institution, I love my Alma Mater with uncommon vigor.
Rarely do I speak on the fact that long ago I realized that my love for THE Ohio State University has been usurped by another. As with most moments where a man leaves one love for another, there are logical reasons behind the betrayal. The arrival of March, a month dedicated to celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities among other things, provides me with an opening to publicly reveal that the betrayal of my Alma Mater involves an unexpected entity, Prairie View A & M University (PVAMU) a Historically Black College and University (H.B.C.U.).
As with most matters of the heart, I am unable to explain how Prairie View A & M University usurped THE Ohio State University as the leading institution in my life. If pressed to explain it, I have no explanation other than the patented answer of “it is how she (PVAMU) makes me feel.”
Although many warned me that this day would arrive, it is only with the benefit of hindsight that I understand why they posited that the sultry siren known as Prairie View A & M University would steal my heart. The voodoo that this H.B.C.U. has done is not solely attributable to the vaunted institution; in fact, the majority of the credit for PVAMU’s ascension to the pinnacle of my list of educational institutions is due to my understanding of Black educators integral role in the survival and flourishing of Black America.
Any in-depth historical examination of the post-chattel slavery experiences of persons of African descent on the North American is seriously flawed if it fails to place Black institutions, most notably the church and educational centers, at the center of what can be accurately termed a miraculous survival story. Unfortunately for the legacy of Black educators, their esteemed contributions have been marred by voluminous falsities and misunderstandings.
The following pervasive misconceptions have dogged Black educators since the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.
- White teachers were better educated.
- White teachers were more experienced.
- White teachers were better equipped to educate students, a population that includes Black students.
Just as Black educators throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries stood in defiance of such dismissive caricatures, I find myself similarly positioned. Although I cherish the legacy that Black educators bequeathed to me, I really do not have much of a choice in the matter; I was created to be an educator and told by my dear mother — so I know that it is true — that the payment that my ancestors demanded for their sacrifices was my life.
Those are the marching orders that guide my steps every waking day and slumbering night. It is this understanding of the essential nature of independent Black educational institutions in the battle for “the liberation and salvation of the Black nation” that predetermined that PVAMU would eventually overtake THE Ohio State University in both my heart and on my list of priorities.
I am confident that many will wonder if PVAMU’s ascension to leading institution status in my life really matters. It matters greatly as it determines where my time, energies, and monies will be directed from this moment forward. Instead of writing a check to THE Ohio State University, those dollars will be placed in PVAMU’s coffers. I hope that this investment in fertile soil will aid the production of young intellectuals, professionals, and activists who will continue to agitate for the betterment of Black America well after I have gone on to glory.
I am quite certain that Buckeye Nation will not consider the above a betrayal. Hopefully, they are mature enough to understand this decision to aid an HBCU is no slight against THE Ohio State University, rather the focusing of energies in an area where it is desperately needed. Regardless of how this alteration to my priority list is received by Buckeye Nation, the truth of the matter is that it has been done and will not be reversed. I guess that there is nothing left to say other than O-H!!!!!
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.