Smack talk and jokes are a part of HBCU culture. It would be silly to deny this.
Generations of rivalries have given plenty of schools and universities ammunition against each other for all kinds of roasting seasons, funny videos, memes and much more.
There is a line, however.
And Florida A&M band announcer Joe Bullard jumped miles across that line this past Saturday when he made a joke about Alabama State’s popular Honey Beez dance group, calling them the “new faces of Ozempic.”
The Honey Beez are a talented group of plus-size young ladies who dance with ASU’s Marching Hornets.
Ozempic is a drug used for managing Type 2 diabetes and is credited with accelerating weight loss.
While Bullard’s jokes – and those of others – have long been a part of HBCU band and sports culture, it is time that insensitivity and cruelty passed off as harmless humor be put out to pasture. It takes some effort, but it is possible to be funny without punching down on people.
Hearing that joke cut deep for me as well because of my own battles with weight and body image. My heart instantly went out to the Honey Beez because I remember all the jokes, even long after they were said and even after a successful weight loss journey.
During my undergrad years at Delaware State University, my weight teetered between 330 and 395 pounds. Even though I was able to make a few friends, my insecurities kept me from truly enjoying campus life, one of my few regrets.
I likely chased away more friends and even potential romantic partners because I dealt with body image and self-esteem issues poorly.
I struggled with weight well into my late 30s when I was able to lose 125 pounds (and have kept most of it off!), finding some confidence and self-love I never thought I would have.
However, not every plus-size person is going to drop 100-plus pounds because they feel like it. That is okay and they should be respected as human beings regardless. Life is hard enough without people making corny jokes about your weight and your looks.
Now imagine being 18 to 22-year-old young women, in a world where if you aren’t the right kind of thick, the right kind of curvy, the right complexion, you’re treated in a dismissive manner.
It’s devastating to be reduced to your appearance and size when that’s just one component of what makes an entire person.
If there is any good news from this, it’s that the majority of the social media response has been to uplift the Honey Beez and take Bullard to task for his poor choice of words. Humanity and empathy aren’t dead, thank goodness.
There’s been no word on Joe Bullard’s future as FAMU band announcer, but he should bear the weight of consequences one thoughtless joke will likely send his way.
