Earlier this week (Sept. 18), Princess Isis Lang, a musical theater major at the University of Southern California, took to social media to post some footage of the Cardinal Divas, a Black majorette dance team that debuted during USC’s football game against Fresno State a day prior. Along with the amazing clip was a message that saw Lang reflecting on the achievement and showing appreciation to all who helped her and her squad reach this point:
“I created a majorette team at a [predominantly white institution, or PWI] and performed at our first game. Truly though, I’m so blessed and can’t thank God enough. Thank you to my parents and to everyone who supported me along this LONG journey. And my girls FYE … The Cardinal Divas of SC are UP NEXT.”
Since then, Lang’s video has received a wealth of polarizing responses, reigniting the long-standing debate between supporters of historically Black colleges and universities — more commonly known as HBCUs — and PWIs. While many expressed positive vibes toward the idea of Black representation in a typically non-Black space, others questioned why she simply didn’t take her talents to a Black school. One person who reacted to the situation was Saweetie, who showed Lang nothing short of love and excitement in a recent tweet:
It should also be noted that Saweetie had a similar experience during her college days at San Diego State University. In an Instagram post from two years ago, the “Icy Girl” talent could be seen dancing in an all-Black majorette squad of her own. Interestingly enough, Saweetie later transferred to USC, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in communications.
In you missed it, you can watch Saweetie’s majorette days below. In related news, Princess Isis Lang did a feature in Essence that provides readers with more insight on the creation of the Cardinal Divas — check that out here.