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Last week, the earth tilted on its axis when Vibe magazine published a piece called 'The Mean Girls of Morehouse.' The article highlighted a tiny group of Morehouse students who prefer to dress in women's clothing. Prior to the release of the piece, the president of Morehouse College sent out an outraged letter to his alumni decrying an article that he admitted he had not read.
The Vibe article was precipitated by last year's controversy over Morehouse's dress code. Excuse me, the "Appropriate Attire Policy." The policy was targeted at a tiny minority of students on campus. By tiny, I mean FIVE:
"The dress-wearing ban is aimed at a small part of the private college's 2,700-member student body," said Dr. William Bynum, vice president for Student Services.
"We are talking about five students who are living a gay lifestyle that is leading them to dress a way we do not expect in Morehouse men," he said. (CNN)
Though the policy had 11 "expectations" for students, the one which received the most attention and the one for which all the other expectations were written to disguise, is a ban on wearing clothing usually worn by women such as dresses, tops tunics, purses and pumps. In short, there is no room for androgyny at Morehouse.
Dr. Franklin and his staff remain steadfast in couching the dress code as some type of attempt in molding and shaping students for "leadership " Leading what? Leading where?
College is a place where you will be confronted by people who look, act and sound different than you do. I remember wearing my collection of scripture-embossed church t-shirts to English 101 only to be confronted by a rabid atheist professor who insisted we call him by his first name, Jim. I'd been raised in a devout Baptist family and had never had anyone contest the existence of God to my face with relish and glee. Every class was a new test in how blasphemous Jim could be. We fought the entire semester and I got an "A." and Jim ended up being one of my favorite instructors.
If you do it right, the people you meet in college transform your life and add a layer of richness you otherwise would have been denied. In managing these relationships with people who are different than you, you begin to deal with people on an individual basis and form conclusions based on character and not geography, gender, race, national origin, or yes, sexuality. And of course, this tolerance for differences prepared you for the work world in which you will encounter these differences and be forced to harness them for creative production.
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Which brings us back to what exactly it is that Morehouse College is "teaching" its students about "leadership" and power. Its president states:
"And while the world grapples with complicated issues related to economic disparity, racism, sustainability, and diversity and tolerance, Morehouse stands in the breach, seeking answers to the pressing issues facing our young men, encouraging dialogue and expecting excellence." (Dr. Franklin)
Are these the values Morehouse is really extolling? What about some other values? Such as, the strong will always be able to prey upon the weak? Majority rules? It's okay to ostracize those who look an act different for systematic discrimination and abuse? When confronted with bigotry, denial and righteous indignation are acceptable replies from leadership? Five students dressed as women have the ability to cripple and entire university? That Morehouse can be brought low by high heels?The status quo is sacred and conviction no longer requires courage?
In the end, isn't the "Appropriate Attire Policy" a cop out? The exact opposite of leadership? Instead of confronting differences and offering up a lesson in diversity, inclusion and creativity, we write a new memo and a policy targeting a tiny outnumbered group. What a way to "grapple with complexity" and "seek answers."If the men of Morehouse are to become the leaders of tomorrow, whether in business, education or politics, they will need much better tools for dealing with the true complexity of human relations.
Gina McCauley is the CEO of the Blogging While Brown Conferenceand the blogsMichelle Obama Watch and What About Our Daughters. She is currently completing her first book, 'Michelle Obama Watch.'
Comments: (84)
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By: Time and Place for Everything on 10/22/2010 12:59PM
School is a place to learn, not express oneself. If you want to express yourself, then you should do that on your own time. I'm glad the university decided to come down on this and make a stand. Their outlandish idea of expression has no place in academia. Morehouse has a legacy of great and influential black men. Good for them. Dress like that on your own time. Additionally, do you see this mess going on Harvard and Yale campuses? If so, they would be out of there in two seconds flat! Come on people get real. We can be open and accepting but there is a time and place for everything.
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By: Rosita Wiggins on 10/22/2010 3:56PM
I absolutely agree. Our students MUST understand there is a time and place for everything. In the outside world we must all conform to something. It is not a "whatever " world. Dressing inappropriately can be resolved when you are on your personal time. It is a men's private college that's what they signed up for...so carry yourself accordingly! It is so disappointing that we have some students that don't respect the integrity of the Morehouse legacy. Its not all about them and their need for attention.!!!!
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By: jemimah on 10/22/2010 4:35PM
Amen to that! And what about our daughters? Is this what they have to look forward to in a mate. Must we accept everything liberalism proposes? How about looking that gift horse in the mouth.
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By: wonder why on 11/02/2010 3:32PM
I totally agree with this post. There is a time and place for everything. Dress how you want on your own time. You won't walk up in Coca-cola, Time-Warner, AT&T or any other place of business, including small private businesses dressed other than what the stated dress code of the business is. Period!
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By: goldblackwoman on 10/25/2010 6:52PM
Thank you for your comments, and for putting it so well! I completely agree with you. Academia is no place for this outlandish nonsense! I do deviate from your words slightly: I think we'd be better off without another negative element such as this, PERIOD, though I know accepting it is currently all the rage.
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By: Marla on 10/25/2010 7:37PM
I agree with the majority of your statement but I would like to take it a little further. God is real. Heaven and Hell are real eternal places. The Bible says that homosexuality is an ABOMINATION and they will be judged accordingly. Our society is in the condition that it is because like the 7 Churches of Asia, we're compromising our beliefs in order not to hurt anyone's feelings. We NEED to hurt their feelings with the truth so that we can HELP their salvation.
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By: teddy knight on 10/25/2010 10:01PM
Yes we see this stuff going on at Harvard and Yale and all around the world. Our former President, George W. Bush, belonged to a fraternity at Harvard whose whole purpose of being was regular cross-dressing parties. Many of our wealthy and prominent adult white males go to the Bohemian Grove where the week-long entertainment involves cross dressing and total nudity, as well as planning how to stay in power for another year.
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By: besta on 10/25/2010 10:48PM
Expressing your self is no crime. But you must express YOUR self not what you are not or some phony version of yourself or a fake self. Wouldn't we all like to be rich, wealthy and many go broke trying to express themselves as such.
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By: bestausweh on 10/26/2010 12:14AM
Self-expression is not a crime. But these "men" are expressing something else, aberrant.
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By: the78msj on 10/22/2010 1:19PM
I totally agree while Atlanta has turned into the new mecca for the african-american gay population lets not forget that the CAU, Morehouse and Spellman colleges and universities still have a legacy in the community that should be upheld. If these five young men wish to dress a certain way and act a certain way then they can do so on their own time, making a mockery and a joke out of what is already deemed an antiquated establishment is not the move and it doesn't help uphold the schools reputation. I am all for individuality but when it effects a whole campus then there is a larger problem at hand. The ivy walls of academia is another world separate from the real world, it is the schools right to enforce a proper dress code, and have a standard of conduct. when these young men enter the real world they can dress however they please but until then if they don't like the choices they have they can make the decision to leave and seek education else where.
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