Are These Dresses Inappropriate For College Students?
Once again, Black female bodies are being disrespected by white men, and obviously it’s still not OK.
University of Mississippi donor Edwin Meeks is being called out after sharing photos of two Black female students on his Facebook page on Wednesday, September 19. In the post, he indicated that how the students were dressed may be the reason for declines in real estate, as well as enrollment. He also blamed them for the growing police presence in the town. See his racist post below:
One of the students, who is pictured in Edwin’s post wearing a black, deep plunge mini dress, is now speaking about the incident and is telling Ed to save his apologies. In a statement she wrote in the Daily Mississippian, Mahoghany Jordan describes her thought process in deciding to go to a game on Saturday night (Sep. 15).
“My Saturday night started off the same way it would for most of my peers. I spent time calculating my ensemble, making sure that my makeup and hair would complement the look, and figuring out plans to ensure that I would hold true to the idea that we never lose a party.”
Mahoghany goes on to say she had a great time with her friends, celebrating her alma mater. That was until she started receiving word about Ed Meek’s hateful Facebook posts from friends and news outlets. Here’s what she had to say:
“Ed Meek’s post was not meant for me nor my good friend Kiyona Crawford. We weren’t the ones fighting Alabama fans at a tent in the Grove, we weren’t harassing our LGBTQIA+ counterparts, nor were we the ones fighting in front of bars around the Square. However, somehow for Meek, the blame for the university’s enrollment decline and city’s decline in property value was easier to associate with two women of color as opposed to the particular demographic that has been at the forefront of the school’s most controversial moments by far.”
Read him for filth, sis! According to the Clarion Ledger, Facebook users commented on Edwin's posts stating that white, female students wear similar outfits when going out but are not being called out for it. Mahoghany even pointed out that people shouldn’t be judged by their clothing, as Ed Meek pointed out in his civil rights book, “Riot: Witness to Anger and Change.”
To close her statement, Mahoghany said, “I relinquish being over-sexualized, scapegoated and invalidated by anyone. I deserve to feel secure in my skin on this campus and in this town just as my counterparts do and I will continue to carry on as such.”
Mahoghany handled a hateful situation with dignity and grace. These women were clearly being shamed due to their curvy figures! If you're trying to have these old, racists shook like our girl Mahoghany, try this dress to look just as good as she did.