Blog Entry #6

          The Black Revolution on Campus, which was written by Matha Biondi, discussed the story behind the Black Student Movement and demonstrated how students were the ones to transform American higher education when they moved toward the forefront of the black freedom struggle. According to Biondi, historically black colleges and universities (HBCU’s) triggered active leadership and the beginning of the Black Student Movement; therefore, when I found the online Inquisitr article titled, “Aisha Tyler Tells African American Students to ‘Step Out of Your Comfort Zone’,” it made me realize that still to this day African American thoughts and beliefs toward gaining greater freedom are complex and diverse.

            Tyler chose to attend Dartmouth University because it was committed to teaching, and recently she told African American students, who were considering college, to “Step out of your comfort zone. Don’t pick a college that replicates what you did in high school. Test yourself in an unfamiliar context so that you can learn to succeed no matter where you are placed, so that you know you can excel.”

            She got a lot of backlash for her comment because many African Americans believed it was a slight against historically black colleges and universities, but she defended herself by pointing out that black students at non-HBCU’s have also taken stands against racism. She used a current example of the political rally featuring a presidential candidate in protest against the use of a racial term and act of violence by a university vice-president against an African-American woman. Although Tyler proved that acts of racism are being addressed on all college and university campuses, critiques believed HBCU’s appropriately cater to the intellectual needs of African American students.

            Tyler claimed that her decision to attend Dartmouth University represented “bravery” and her commitment to pursuing greater education for herself (as a black female) despite the kind of experience she might have while at the school. She wanted to encourage African American youth to follow in her footsteps and “be brave and go to a predominately-white, ideally racist school,” because ultimately her justification was that “bravery is the engine of change.” For Tyler, her greatest success in life came from achieving in an institution where she was one of the college’s only African American students and could assert herself as an equal member of the campus community.

             Since the experience of African Americans in American society is both universal and individual, ways to combat oppression and create a personal sense of space are not unanimous.

Here is the link to the article: http://www.inquisitr.com/3052918/aisha-tyler-tells-african-american-students-to-step-out-of-your-comfort-zone/