Over the years, stereotypes have developed about the black students at Florida State University and Florida A&M University that needed to be discussed.
This need was fulfilled on Monday.
“Across the Tracks: The Difference between Me and You” was a forum held that the FSU Black Student Union, alongside Phi Beta Sigma, hosted to discuss the separation among black students at FAMU and FSU.
A general misconception is that black students at FSU are bourgeoisie or ‘not black enough,’ while black students at FAMU are labeled as ghetto or incapable of accepting diversification.
These issues were discussed among students from both universities.
I have to admit, I am guilty of making blusterous remarks about black students who attend FSU. It was not until I took the time out to educate myself on both schools and went out of my comfort zone to meet and befriend students from Florida State that Ihad a change of thought.
Now, I know that we all go through the same things in life.
Neither one of the universities have supremacy over the other.
Each school has something different to offer its students, whether it is culturally or academically.
Vanessa Baden, a panelist, said that if you think about it we all started or were born out of an HBCU before we integrated into white schools.
No matter what school you attend, blacks still have to work just as hard, and at times, twice as hard as our white counterparts do.
Although seminars and panels like this are important for the betterment of the relationship between FSU and FAMU black students, emphasis should be placed on more pertinent issues that affect black America.
For example, we are all familiar with the cases of the “Jena 6” and that of Megan Williams, the black West Virginia woman who was tortured and sexually assaulted by two whites who held her captive in September.
When there are obstacles like this that stand in the way of black America achieving its goals, little issues like the so called ‘beef’ between black FSU and FAMU students seem derisory.
It is my belief that panels should tackle more important issues.
There will always be drama, but what counts is the force that is put behind changing.
We’re still black students attending an institute of higher learning, whether we’re Seminoles or Rattlers.
At the end of the day, we are all here in hopes of bettering ourselves, families and communities.
As I have said before we all must stand together as one if we want to make some changes for the betterment of our race.
Priscilla Blow is a junior broadcast journalism student from Jacksonville. She can be reached at famuanopinions@hotmail.com.