The Gramblinite

Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Voices

Imani J. Jackson

An intelligent, comely, charismatic brotha with civic engagements, a commendable GPA, diverse friends and the appropriate amount of hallelujah could represent Grambling State University. He could present a platform encouraging after school tutoring, increased STD awareness and/or the importance of reactivating a functional black family structure. He could don a rented tux and swagger onstage to eloquently deliver ideas with a luminous grin. He could vie for a title of royalty. However no such position exists.

Not to say that such brothas don't exist on campus.

The fact remains that Miss Grambling is currently an unaccompanied position. When the SGA president is male, the queen has a built-in escort to events, but who's to say that royal representation is a solely a ladylike endeavor? Don't males and females comprise this institution of higher learning?

I would love to see men campaign for and/or duke it out in attempts of pursuing the title of Mr. Grambling.

I am also certain that scores of young men would approach the theoretical crown with dignity and enthusiasm. Watching men attempt to out-class each other might offer a metaphorical counterpoint to recycled statements devaluing them.

(Smacks forehead at claims that collegiate men are dogs.)

This possibility is not as much about nighttime showcases with contestants in beach attire or a popularity contest as it is about an opportunity to present oft-dismissed black males a position that could add depth to their resumes. How many times do we watch women pursue titles while equal emphasis is placed on their exterior components as their interior facets?

Mr. Grambling could encourage his brethren to work toward dismantling the cyclical status quos. Mr. Grambling could meet with the campus and begin making inquiries and statements that could aid with everything from a closer male-to-female campus ratio to a disproportionate amount of disrespect.

He could be a positive influence amidst spineless followers. He could also subtract some of the attention from Miss Grambling. Certainly students who care more about the physical compositions of their representatives would still flap their jaws, but maybe a king could step into that limelight and share the criticism.

Above all a Mr. Grambling could join forces with Miss Grambling and present students a conscious example of equilibrium. On a campus noted for historical pageantry, we ought to paint a more wholesome picture. We ought to acknowledge the royal history and heritage of everyone here by alluding to it with both genders stepping up to the plate.

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