In Bed With The Right Episode 12: The Morehouse Man with Saida Grundy
Dec 16, 2023
Prof. Saida Grundy discusses gender conservatism, Black masculinity, and the politics of respectability at Morehouse College, an elite HBCU. Topics explored include the impact of gender conservatism on black male identity, the influence of HBCUs on black communities, the history and significance of Morehouse College, misconceptions about working in predominantly white environments, and the pressure to conform to the Morehouse man prototype.
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Reactive Respectability Shapes Morehouse Man
- Morehouse cultivates a narrowly defined elite Black masculinity as a solution to perceived racial problems.
- That reactive respectability creates harms by policing gender and limiting acceptable Black male identities.
Gregory Love Attack Exposed Institutional Blindness
- Saida recounts the 2001 Gregory Love attack and Morehouse's defensive institutional response.
- Instead of self-reflection they suggested segregation and application filters for gay students.
Historical Roots Of Respectability Campaigns
- Reactive respectability has deep historical roots in post-emancipation campaigns to moralize Black citizens.
- Contemporary iterations link neoliberal uplift with elite Black men's visibility and donor-driven priorities.