Interesting changes at a Historically Black University. Tuskegee University is instituting a dress code and classroom attendance and other policies.
So, outside of the dorms, no du-rags (aka do-rag), no bedroom slippers, no ‘bonnets’ (those shower cap thingies that some black women wear).
Also, no revealing clothing or cellphones in class and a requirement for dress clothes to be worn for internships and professional events. And students will be expected to actually attend class (they’ll actually track attendance).
In other words, standards of dress and proper behavior.
For generations, historically Black colleges and universities have emphasized professional preparation alongside academic instruction. That tradition developed in a society where Black graduates were often expected to arrive more polished, prepared and credentialed than their white counterparts simply to receive the same opportunities.
Many HBCU students and alumni may see Tuskegee’s policy as an extension of that tradition. Others may question whether banning bonnets and du-rags, which are commonly used to protect Black hairstyles, reinforces narrow ideas about what professionalism should look like.
I don’t know how much flack they’re going to get about this. Or if other colleges, HBCUs or not, will follow suit. Honestly, they should….
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