The large uproar about Vibe magazines ‘Mean Girls at Morehouse’ article is certainly grounded and based along two lines: What is right, and what is Right. The touchy-ness of the issue makes it too difficult for one to distinguish between either of them. However, at its deeper core comes a deeper question: Is the concern based on the students’ fears of Morehouse becoming a “school for gays?” Is the commotion over this topic really about a dress code? How about homosexuality?
Ironically enough, the conversation is about neither of them. The conversation is strictly about black masculinity.
Just as when we are to talk about racism, we are talking about white supremacy. For any critical thinker, it is important to identify the heart of the matter. However, before we go any further we must accept the following:
1. Morehouse is a school for homosexuals. If one is nearing the end of his high school experience and is homosexual, Morehouse College will likely enter the realm of his interests. Any objective person would be more than aware of the relatively large gay community at Morehouse College. If students are willing to accept this reality, it will help us understand that homosexuality will always be a component of the school, whether the administration will allow it or not. Morehouse’s strict all-male population, centered dead-smack in the center of Atlanta- One of the nation’s gay capitals- attributes to the schools popularity amongst homosexual students. It also attributes it to Morehouse’s growing popularity because Atlanta is a fast growing city.
2. There are serious cases of homophobia at Morehouse College. Despite the dress-code being aimed at all types of controversial “cultural uniforms”, students at Morehouse continuously aim- justified or unjustifiably- at the .05% of students who are actually cross-dressing. Meaning that a select few have been magnified in the hyper-sensitized, reasonably-insecure psyches of many black males attending the school.
However, it is critical that we address the heart of the issue. Morehouse had been created in 1867- shortly after the “emancipation” of enslaved blacks throughout the south. The school is created with the intention on educating men. Seeing that the school has no vocational roots, it is clear to see that our founders identified education as the method of use to rust the chains of slavery. More importantly- almost every black institution spearheaded by black males in our society has one underlying goal in mind:
Rebuilding the psyche, image, and respect of the black man.
We are talking about black men who could not defend or take care of their families. Any self-conception of manhood they could fathom they were not allowed to publicly exhibit without adhering to the consequences of such behavior. These were men were forced to step off sidewalks while white men walked on them. These were men who were beaten, castrated, and hanged for glancing at white women. And these were men who were not allowed to eat dine, or even speak to a white man a certain way. Read Born to Rebel, Dr. Mays’ autobiography, and he will tell you about his various encounters with white men on Pullman Trolleys who would directly insult him face to face. Though that is prejudice and could have happened to black women too, man-to-man, it is considered and understood as an attempt to demasculinate another man.
These temperaments transferred culturally onto to black men today. Black men- more than any other demographic- may be the most concerned about the image that he sends to the public. He understands that the “system” (media, policy, or economics) is concerned about making him as silly-looking and as non-a-factor as possible.
Meanwhile, there is Morehouse College- a school that professes its students to be a remedy to the historical devaluation and demasculation of the black male. One of the reasons that black males profess their sexuality so much is because the system has not allowed them to be a “man” in any other sector but the bedroom. Morehouse’s focus, like all black male organizations- be it fraternity or business organization- is to rebuild the black masculinity that has been taken away from them for centuries.
We are not beyond the days of racism or its residue. Men consciously and unconsciously are still attempting to rebuild their masculinity. For a black man still cannot comfortably be black and be male simultaneously. In this sense, we cannot- and refuse to- identify with individuals who are black males who have no desire to be men. In fact, it is an outrage to some.
And yes, image is also inclusive to manhood. That’s the essence of culture. Cultures are only cultures when they have developed a set of shared values. Interestingly enough, also included in culture is the possession of a set a shared symbols! Symbols are images! Within our culture, for one to profess themselves to be a man they have to ascribe to the cultural and symbolic tenets of manhood- and many of them are superficial. It is similar to Christianity. A symbolic tenet of Christianity is the acceptance of the cross for its symbol- because if you and I have different definitions for what the cross is symbolic for, it becomes difficult for us to share the religion. When one says they attend a school for men- particular image comes to mind. Cross-dressing does not fit that image. The morality of this reality is not of importance, but if we must… It is important to know that every culture has a defined set of female and male roles- the role of the male is called masculinity. Morality is developed by cultural values, and if one goes against those cultural values they are deemed immoral.
Whether masculinity is defined is semantic. The answer to your question is the image that enters your mind when the term ‘masculinity’ is mentioned. The Morehouse administration and the student body share a collective conception of what masculinity is within this culture. And we see cross-dressing as a potential threat to the status of respectability that we have been attempting to build globally for nearly 200 years. We see cross-dressing in the same sense in which Big Mama’s House, Madea, and the Nutty Professor see it- as comedy. We see cross-dressing making Morehouse College the butt of jokes, not the spark of conversation. And as much as Morehouse should stand above the masses as far as understanding diversity- we are also aware of how this particular diversity could hurt its reputation. And at Morehouse- that is all we have! No money, no significant donors, no large endowment- only reputation. And seeing that reputation is likely what brought you (the reader) to this school, it becomes easy to correlate its reputation to its bottom line. Even a cross-dresser should understand the threat such an image has to Morehouse.
This may be the only institution where black masculinity is so cherished. Because it is an all-black male school in America- I need not to express the other misconceptions that Morehouse College has to guard itself against (examine the Rick Ross situation). An all-male school dealing with femininity certainly tilts the bucket over in an environment where we are still not completely viewed as all men. Most of it is negative media. However, we refuse to allow self-inflicting damage.
