Spike Lee released his second feature film, School Daze, February 12, 1988. This musical comedy attempts to expose the issues surrounding the division of young Blacks on HBCU campuses. Spike brings up two big issues in the film, light skin v. dark skin and the informed(radical) Black v. the "fun loving floater". Massive conflicts masked by singing, dancing, and stepping are thrown in the faces of audiences. In true Spike Lee fashion (or at least during this time) he talked about what the community wanted to keep under wraps.
Before I give my thoughts I have to lay down some background information. I'm only 20 years old and I was born in December at the tail end of the year this movie was released. I'd like to discuss the impact the movie had and how the masses took in the direct addressing of the issues but I don't even think my mom was pregnant with me yet. I can't speak much to the issues that Spike felt inclined to address about the state of HBCUs and Black Greek life. However, for my generation, the question that arises when School Daze comes up is "Has anything changed?". Honestly, I don't know. I attend Hampton University. On this HBCU campus, I don't believe that skin color is still an issue, at least not among Black people. I can't lie. I have been in classes where some of my colleagues would beg to differ and I have noticed the lighter hue of certain cheerleaders and flag girls. However, I think that skin tone is more of a coincidence now and the true conflict is hair texture. Among my generation, you can have a different hairstyle every day if you choose. Natural hair has definitely been an ongoing trend and it creates a rift between those who follow the trend and those who choose to take advantage of what Madam C.J. Walker started all those years ago. As far as the movie's call for more Afro-centric educated Black students, for my generation, the two most prominient life impacting events were 9/11 and Obama. I say all of this to say that the college kids of then and the ones now are living in two separate times, experiencing completely different things but that does not mean that the issues (either the same or with a new face) are not still in existence to some extent. I will lend myself to the possiblity that the same skin tone issues do still exist but my generation has found a new way to exploit it. I wonder if Spike Lee were asked to remake School Daze now (20 years later) what his take on HBCU life would now? Will he, or any other filmmaker, be able to see what I may not as a college student? Would Dap's anti-apartheid demonstrations be replaced with "Pull out of Iraq" rallies? Would he even think that this generation partakes in things of that caliber anymore? (I'm not completely sure.) Wishful thinking maybe but I don't think it's a bad idea to let the past catch up.
School Daze accomplished a lot for those it was meant to impact of that time. For those who came along later and viewed it, it freezed an aspect of life in time for us to go back and compare our own world to. If an HBCU wants to bring any significance to those University 101 classes then they should show School Daze. Despite how long ago it was, it still changes how you view the things around you.
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