HBCU Fact or Cap: TV & Film Representations
I’m sure, at some point in our lives, we’ve watched different depictions of HBCU experiences on-screen. But, which ones are really true?
Some of us are already familiar with the social media discourse explaining how to be socially cool at an HBCU, which includes knowing all the lyrics to Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” or going to class dressing fresher than your Sunday’s best. But if we’re being real, approaching HBCU institutions and conversations with a realistic frame of mind will really make you cool like that. Seriously, if you’re entering HBCU spaces with expectations of experiencing the Dwayne to your Whitley, then I’m here to tell you, that you might wanna let go of those expectations. I am, nonetheless, here to tell you that you’re more than likely going to meet your lifelong homies similar to the ones in Living Single!
As a recent graduate of the Atlanta University Center, I can attest to the truth of HBCU depictions on big and small screens. If you’re an incoming HBCU student or just curious about how accurate pop culture depictions are of the HBCU experience, then I got you covered. I’ll be fact-checking and debunking different performances of HBCU representations in film and TV over the years.
A Different World
(1987-1993)
A Different World (1987-1993)
This late 1980s to early 1990s television show inspired an influx of Black students to attend HBCUs in the later 1990s and 21st century. The show takes place at the fictional Hillman College, and while watching reruns of A Different World, I couldn’t help but laugh at various HBCU depictions and go mmmmm in consensus with them.
Fact: There Are Very Strict HBCU Professors
In the opening episode of season two of A Different World, viewers are introduced to “Dr. War is Hell”, a title that already gives you an idea of what lies ahead– difficult college professors.
During this episode, the main character Dwayne tries to avoid a dreaded college course. Whether the professor assigns a tedious workload, has a lack of empathy for students, or is just disconnected from the younger generation, this is a very TRUE HBCU experience. I know you might be thinking, this sounds like a regular college experience, but as a transfer student who first attended a predominantly white institution (PWI), that tough, academic love at an HBCU hit differently!
Of course, no one wants a strict professor, so students try to warn each other about these frightful courses through Rate My Professors, GroupMe conversations, and word of mouth (us Black folk got to stick together!). But if you’re one of the unlucky ones, who end up in “Dr. War is Hell’s” class, you’ll know you got the wrong professor during syllabus week. Tuh, some professors don’t even have syllabus week and just get straight to work. If you know, you know!
Cap: Finding Your HBCU Soulmate
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the series A Different World depicts HBCU romantic relationships. Two of the show’s main characters, Whitley and Dwayne, share an on-screen romance that is popularized by the media and has inspired Black college students to believe in a fairytale love. While Whitley and Dwayne’s relationship ended happily, the likelihood behind it actually happening at an HBCU is FALSE.
For starters, the drama Whitley and Dwayne endured is enough to save an HBCU student from this type of relationship. During their romance, these two went through numerous breakups and makeups, fights over each other, campus drama, and difficult in-laws just to name a few. In today’s society, nobody has time to be going through a toxic relationship in college, especially since the focus should be on education. Tackling studies while trying to maintain a lasting relationship is way too much stress for any college student.
Secondly, today’s HBCU relationship scene is less about pursuing relationships and more about having causal romantic endeavors. Sneaky links, lil yeas, and having “options,” reign supreme in our generation. Now don’t get me wrong, there have been some relationship success stories at HBCUs, but that doesn’t mean go searching for your HBCU husband or wife when you step foot on campus. Take your time when approaching romantics at an HBCU and most importantly, keep yo’ head in them books!
2. School Daze
(1988)
A School Daze (1988)
Fact: HBCUs Struggle With Race, Class, and Gender Differences
Before A Different World made waves in the Black community, the 1988 musical film School Daze detailed HBCU dynamics that are prevalent today. The film shed light on more hostile HBCU traditions that people think are gone, but are however silently practiced at modern-day HBCUs.
Among the most prominent depictions in School Daze were the intersections between socioeconomic class, colorism, and Greek life. The lyrics of the Madame Re-Res Dance Scene spell out the TRUE divisions among HBCU students based on different skin tones, hair textures, and interests. For instance, one student in the song who is light-skinned with long, blonde, pressed hair sings, “Don’t you wish you had hair like this? Then the boys would give you a kiss.”
At modern-day HBCUs, these “isms” may go unnoticed, leaving students to believe they are a thing of the past. Unfortunately, however, these problems persist in more subtle forms, such as exclusivity to join student organizations and elitism in Greek organizations.
Cap: There’s No Flash Dancing
While the film effectively portrays the divisions within the Black community, it does so with a comedic-musical twist. However, the dance numbers are a FALSE aspect of HBCUs so please don’t expect the High School Musical-esque flash dancing unless it’s a Greek stroll!
Fact: HBCU Students Are Community Leaders
The final scene of School Daze is a memorable performance that is TRUE of the HBCU atmosphere. During the last scene of the film, Dap, a student at the fictional Mission College runs across the school and yells WAKE UP!! to the students and faculty of the college. This scene served as a protest to the aforementioned “isms” that occur at HBCUs. Courageous acts of protest against injustices within the Black community and global injustices reign TRUE at HBCUs. Students at the Atlanta University Center, for example, have been urging the administration at their institutions to wake up! following the ongoing global genocides that their institutions are funding and in solidarity with.
If you attend an HBCU, you’ll definitely notice and should be a part of the activism that students organize.
3. Beyoncé’s Homecoming Documentary
(2019)
Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé (2019)
Beyoncé's Homecoming put HBCUs on the map by incorporating a major component of HBCU life, band culture, into her 2018 Coachella headliner performance. Her performance paid homage to the electrifying atmosphere of HBCUs, featuring a marching band, dancers, and a choir with students from Fisk University, Grambling State University, and other HBCUs across America, to celebrate Black collegiate life.
Fact: HBCU Bands Throw Down!
If you haven’t watched the Netflix documentary extravaganza, then maybe its HBCU, marching band influence will persuade you to give it a watch. The band culture shown in Homecoming is TRUE to the HBCU experience. From the majorette dancers and the Greek steppers to the lively sounds of the musical instruments, Beyoncé's performance echoed the atmosphere of an HBCU football game. I remember trying to take naps in my apartment near Morehouse College’s campus and would hear Morehouse’s House of Funk doing band rehearsals to familiar tunes that I grew up hearing. Even though I was tired, their talent made me want to dance in my sleep!
4. Living Single
(1993-1998)
Living Single (1993-1998)
You may have come across Living Single from your parents, or maybe you stumbled upon this show on streaming platforms, but did you know that Khadijah and Maxine’s characters met at Howard University? The foundation of this show started by way of an HBCU!
Fact: You Will Find Your Lifelong Friends At An HBCU
Many students enter HBCUs in hopes of finding their lifelong friends. Experiencing a friendship that begins similarly to Khadijah and Maxine’s at an HBCU and evolves into a familial bond is a TRUE experience and arguably one of the most rewarding outcomes of attending an HBCU. As the theme song of Living Single says, these friendships are “True blue (it’s tight like glue).”
Cap: You Probably Won’t End Up Living With Your College Besties
Even though Khadijah and Maxine maintained their friendship after their HBCU experience, ending up in a situation where you and your friends live with each other after graduation is unlikely and a FALSE product of the HBCU experience. This is mainly because graduates tend to go on different paths and opportunities after college, often leading them to different cities or careers, which makes it difficult to keep the gang under the same roof.
If you’re so lucky to end up living with your college friends, make sure you do it with caution. Living Single displays the chaos of post-college co-living like how Maxine couldn’t handle Khadijah’s childhood friend Regine always being around!
Fact: HBCU Students Rep They School!
Throughout the series, Khadijah repeatedly wears clothing that represents different HBCUs. It’s TRUE that HBCU students proudly represent their school through apparel. HBCU apparel rose to prominence in the 1990s, and the legacy of wearing HBCU clothing has continued as a fashion statement and as a proud way to represent Blackness in academia.
As you can now see, the late 20th century had an influx of representation for HBCU culture that continues to influence students to attend HBCUs! Of course, these representations have flaws, as TV shows and movies are always dramatized. These programs, however, were needed and are still needed to inspire future generations to pursue the essence of Black, academic life.