A North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University college professor is being accused of racism due to his dress code. A screenshot of the professor’s syllabus featuring the dress code was uploaded to Twitter and has gone viral. Many users of the social media platform responded, labeling the items in the dress code as “anti-black”. The dress code seemed simple enough with just a handful of items mentioned including “hoodies” and “bonnets”. The list was capped off with a simple suggestion… “if it can be worn to bed or the club, don’t wear it to class”.
This situation is similar to the Hampton University Business School fiasco. Hampton officials banned certain “ethnic” hairstyles such as dreadlocks. The reason for this is simple. Hampton wants students to make the most of their $30,000 per-year investment by doing all they can to secure job placement upon graduation. One thing students can do is present themselves in a fashion that is more palatable to corporate America. Men and women of all races do the same thing.
To revisit the NC A&T dress code, the reason for this being enacted is not much different than Hampton’s. Aside from dressing appropriately for class by not wearing pajamas, students will also be prepared to dress in a professional manner when they enter the workforce upon graduation.
