Mississippi Valley State Band Administrators are Tone Deaf
Mississippi Valley State University President Dr. Jerryl Briggs.
Y’all have lost your damn minds. That has been the reaction of Black America to the news that Historically Black College Mississippi Valley State University wants the public to help them raise money so their band can perform at the inauguration parade for Donald Trump aka “Tangerine Man.” Leave it to backwards ass Mississippi to always embarrass the hell out of Black folks. The state which consistently ranks last in education, housing, medical care, political power and economics for Black people never ceases to amaze me with their stupidity.
"This is not just a moment of pride for our university but for the entire state of Mississippi," said Dr. Jerryl Briggs, MVSU President, in a press release on the first day of Kwanzaa, Umoja, which ironcially stands for unity. "It is an opportunity to showcase our legacy, celebrate our culture, and invest in the future leaders of our community. This participation allows students to engage in the peaceful transition of power and gain global exposure while celebrating the university's 75th anniversary.”
Bullshit President Briggs. This is you trying to gain political favors from lucifer. Included in the release is a link to a GoFundMe page where MVSU is asking the public for $350k to send the band on the trip. The reactions from Black Americans have been both anger and comedic with many social media users telling the University to go to hell, ask Brett Favre for the money, or Trump boot-lickers Candace Owens, Herschel Walker and Senator Tim Scott to pay the band’s way there.
I got to admit, it takes a certain level of stupidity for MVSU “leaders” to think this was a good idea. They probably did more damage to their recruiting efforts of future students with this move then they ever could have with their low graduation rates and ranking as one of the worst colleges in America. Mississippi Valley State University is ranked #118 out of 135 Regional Universities South, according to U.S. News and World Report, where schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. They are ranked 53rd out of 77 HBCU’s.
The sad irony is that Mississippi is one of the states currently removing Black studies and Critical Race Theory from their public schools and universities. Trump has been a leading proponent of this, in addition to removing DEI goals from public universities admission policies. MVSU was one of several HBCU’s that sued their state government because they were intentionally underfunded for decades.
In September of 2023, an article published by insidehighered, showed just how much of a gap it was between HBCU’s and Primary White Institutions. A federal analysis of documents in 16 states from 1987 to 2020, compared the level of funding HBCU’s received to their traditionally white counterparts. In Mississippi, the total came in at just under $258 million that HBCU’s, which included HBCU’s Mississippi Valley State, Alcorn State, Jackson State Universities along with, Rust, Tougaloo and Coahoma Colleges, were cheated out of. Fifteen of the 16 states in the study were in the south. All of the states were controlled by a Republican legislature.
Yet administrators at MVSU think it is a good idea to prostitute the Mean Green Marching Machine for publicity at a de facto Klu Klux Klan rally next month, which also happens to fall on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday. Black Americans are not having it. Yes, there will always be the minority of “well they have a right to go” people. Nobody is disputing their right or blaming members of the band, who are mostly on scholarship and will do whatever the University tells them to. It is about taking a stand against tyranny. It is about not crossing the line in the sand that was drawn when “Tangerine Man” insulted Vice President Kamala Harris, an HBCU alum by the way, by pretending he couldn’t pronounce her name and questioning if she was a Black woman or not. It is about standing up for our culture, our race, our future. How does MVSU showcase its legacy? By saying a resounding HELL NO to the invitation.
If you leave it to some of us, we are going to march ourselves right back into slavery. They want the money to go to the parade, find a way to get it yourself. Oh, and don’t forget what happened to the last Black entertainer who shunned the community and performed anyway at a Trump parade; we haven’t heard from K. Michelle since.