Norfolk State University, the historically Black educational institution in Virginia, recently opened its new nursing and general education classroom building. The structure, the first new classroom building at Norfolk State since 1975, helps to establish the new academic quadrangle which is anchored by the university’s library and student center.
The new 140,000-square-foot building has more than 30 classrooms, five computer laboratories, 10 nursing and medical laboratories, three conference rooms, 20 group study rooms, and offices for 68 faculty members and their staffs.
The Black people in the Commonwealth of Virginia should be morally outraged that 40 years had to pass before Norfolk State University (NSU)have a new classroom constructed on their campus. This is an excellent example of benign neglect within the boundaries of higher education. I am most certain that Virginia Black House of Delegates will be giving each other platitudes along with taking created for making this happen at Norfolk State University. In actuality, they should be dutifully ashamed and morally embarrassed for not consistently fighting harder for Norfolk State University and other HBCUs in the state of Virginia.
I am most confident the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, Northern Virginia Community College, the College of William & Mary, or James Madison University didn’t have to wait 40 years before they had a new academic classroom building built on their respective campus. Again, here we are in 2015 and the spirit of the fiscal “Separate and Unequal” is still alive and thriving.
Michael: You and I both know that is the fault of the entire Black adult population of the State of Virginia for permitting this gross injustice to happen. Note it was mostly Black folks who elected these clowns or should I call them “house servants” to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Let the record show that Plessy was only outlawed in theory and the practices of pre-Plessy are still in effect which are demonstrated daily on the front and back stage of life in America.
Michael: You never responded to my rebuttal of your comments about the University of Virginia.
Re: Ronald;
Sorry for the delayed response. Regarding your previous point, I do agree with you partially as it pertains to holding our so-called Black elected officials accountable and the Black community in Virginia. However, the Black community should as equally hold all other elected officials accountable as we well. We have too many degree holding Blacks aspiring to be accepted by their White colleagues and will literally refuse to make decisions in the best interest of HBCUs and the Black community. For example, the corporatist President Obama and his White House Initiative on HBCUs have been nothing more than a paper tiger. Yet, many HBCU administrator disagreed with the continued disparate treatment and virtually complained amongst themselves. Why? due to the political correctness paradigm that has become part of accepted norm along with being to visit the White House along with taking presidential photos. That said, I will say a few HBCU administrators did verbalize their discontent only recently.
We have to be mindful that until the majority of the Black community realize the importance of “group survival in the 21st century”(every other ethnic groups practices this consistently), we will continue to be “food for growth” for every other community except our own.