There’s a whole mess of talk going around right now about the newly enforced Tuskegee University dress code and standards. As a pasty basic white girl, I guess I don’t really get to have an opinion about it. But I will say this…
My two very best girlfriends are black women. In fact, they are very accomplished black women. They are both very big deals in their respective professions. One is a VP in a large national company and the other is the Chief Human Resources Officer of a major state university. They were both in my wedding as Maid of Honor and Matron of Honor. In the nearly 20 years that I’ve known both of them, traveled with them, worked with them, celebrated with them, cried with them, laughed and acted the fool with them, not one single time have I EVER seen either one of them wear a bonnet, pajamas, or house shoes out in public. Not one single time.
Once when we were having work dinner at a beach side restaurant, one of them pulled a lovely scarf out of her bag to wrap around her head and said in her best black girl exaggerated gansta voice “I gotta protect the ‘do out here next to the wata”. Through her giggles she wrapped her hair up and laughed at herself loudly enough that everyone around her giggled with her and cheered her on. She still managed to look stunning and professional.
But you know what, it wasn’t a bonnet.
