Why HBCU Rollouts are in a League of Their Own

This week, I want to talk about something that has filled my whole timeline, and that would be University Campaign season. Personally, I love campaign season around campus mainly because it gives us a chance to hear our student leaders and the plans they have for campus, and it is really where some people experience their first election when it comes to voting. 

With this being said, I want to have a little conversation when it comes to HBCU campaigns vs. PWI campaigns for things like SGA, Mister, and Miss elections. As you know, we are at a PWI, and although this is just the start of the campaign season, there hasn't been much creativity, mainly because, as I just stated, it's policies, candidates, etc. 

For a PWI, that election rollout could be something simple like a new Instagram account or a change in the profile picture, but when it comes to HBCUs, it's a cinematic production, nothing but the best, candidates release high-budget campaign videos with professional crews, orginal music, storytelling, and trailers, for instance I literally so this guy on my tiktok jump out of a airplane and skydive just to say vote for him as Mister Sophmore. Students at these HBCUs give origin stories, but when we look at PWI campaigns, these are usually built off Canva Flyers and tabling with some type of snack. While this isn't a diss to how people run their campaigns, there is just a drastic difference when it comes to creativity. 

But when we look deeper, this isn't just about who has the better video editor; there's a thing called the creative tax, and black students often have to pay. At a PWI, we see even now that some students may feel like, even though there isn't a lot of competition, they still have to go above and beyond. We've been taught that to be seen as "professional" or "capable" in spaces that weren't built for us, we have to be twice as good. That creativity isn't just a choice; it's a survival tactic to ensure our voices are not drowned by the standard status quo.