Lies the NYTimes Told Me

So the other day I was doing my best black bourgeoisie impersonation- you know, acting like I really enjoy sifting through pages and pages of tiny-a@# font in The New York Times while sipping on a dark roast- when I came across an interesting article about HBCU’s. The article, written by Samuel Friedman (not to be confused with the honorable Thomas Friedman) attempts to highlight the fiscal and programmatic dilemmas faced by “many” black colleges. Sounds intriguing, until it became clear that all of his assertions are anchored by misquotations* and limited data collected from his stay at Texas Southern University (TSU).

Now I’m not one to bad-mouth any HBCU, but damn. Mr. Friedman based his entire article on an institution that has a law-school that was set-up to ensure that African Americans did not have access to the Texas University system. TSU has never, ever, ever received adequate funding from the Lone Star government. As such, the institution has struggled to maintain its accreditation and maintain its enrollment as more and more elite black students choose to enroll in the larger, and better funded, state university system. Despite its triumphant history, TSU should never frame one’s perspective of the entire HBCU landscape.

However, to make matters worse, Mr. Friedman was able to find the perfect sound bite to further support his argument. An over-worked TSU official poured salt into the wound by asserting, “The single biggest factor [hurting the university] is a lack of motivation. Their [the black students] world is BET, ghetto rap, going to school dressed like you're going to a club. They're here because their grandmother said to be here, or because their parole officer said it was this or jail.” Sure there may be a small segment of the black universe whose worldview is a bit jaded. And yes, they may be appear to be multiplying at breakneck speed. But the latest research says that such folk aren’t attending HBCU’s- or any college for that matter. Check the latest graduate school statistics for proof.

Bottom line- TSU should be commended for continuing to shape the lives of young black students, despite continued funding disparities and broken promises made by recalcitrant politicians. Shame on Samuel Friedman. He certainly knows better.

*Update- We were recently presented with a letter that the aforementioned TSU official sent to the NYTIMES, asserting that she was grossly misquoted by the Samuel Friedman article. While her letter was never published in the Op-Ed section, it very clearly details her perspective on the circumstances at TSU. And it does not, at all, parrallel the comments attributed to her in the article. We commend Dr. Flemming for her dillengence and wish her well as she continues to support the needs of TSU's students.

Read the article here and send the hate mail here.