By Lynn “Elle” Selby
When Ralph Lauren unveiled his latest collection honoring Morehouse College, Spelman College and the Black American tradition of summering in Oak Bluffs, it wasn’t just about clothes. It was a quiet affirmation of something many of us already know: we are not a monolith.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Substack / Lynn “Elle” Selby
For some, the collection was a revelation. Black legacy represented in crested sweaters, blazers and summer linens. For others, it was simply familiar. A lifestyle that has existed quietly, confidently and with care for generations.
In my world, it is not unusual to have friends whose families have owned homes in Martha’s Vineyard for decades, who have passed down memories and keys along with legacies from Morehouse, Spelman, Howard or in my case the “National Treasure” that is Morgan State University – three generations of graduates. This is not new. It is lived.
But let’s be clear: Black excellence and legacy do not start and stop at HBCUs or Oak Bluffs.
There are countless African Americans whose stories did not include a historically Black college or university (HBCU), or a family summer home in Martha’s Vineyard. Many attended predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Many built their lives far from any institutional legacy. And many never attended college at all, but still rose, still thrived, still built businesses, raised families, contributed deeply to their communities and carved out lives marked by dignity and purpose.
Their paths are no less valid, no less impressive and no less worthy of celebration.
The narrative too often pushed into the mainstream is one-dimensional. The 6:00 p.m. news tends to show one version of Black life. One usually wrapped in trauma, crime or crisis. But there are countless Black stories that don’t make the news. And they matter just as deeply.
It does not make us sellouts to honor tradition, to invest in education, or to gather in places where Black joy is generational. (Martha’s Vineyard is indeed our happy place!) That joy is not elitist. It is earned, preserved and deeply rooted in a culture that values family, history and excellence, not perfection.
Yes, there are Black families whose summers are spent barefoot in Oak Bluffs, whose dads are Omegas, mothers are Links, and whose lives are enriched not in opposition to Black struggle, but in full acknowledgment of it. That is the nuance we rarely see, but it is where many of us live.
And it’s why Ralph Lauren’s collection matters. Not because we need a fashion house to validate our stories, but because the world needs a broader lens. We know our diversity. We live it. But moments like this, when our complexity is honored in ways that are beautiful and bold, deserve to be noted.
Black culture is not one thing. It is a spectrum. It includes the Black woman who is the first in her family to attend college, and the one whose grandmother and great-grandfather both walked the Spelman and Morehouse lawns before her. It includes those who found Oak Bluffs in adulthood, and those who learned to ride bikes and sip lemonade on its porches. It includes PWI grads, HBCU grads, state school grads and those who never stepped foot in a college classroom but still built extraordinary lives.
We are not either/or. We are and/both.
This new collection may be a fashion statement to some. But to many of us, it’s an ancestral echo. A reminder. An invitation to continue embracing the fullness of who we are.
And for those who don’t quite get it, perhaps this is a chance to lean in and listen.
This commentary originally appeared on Substack. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
Great Job Lynn Selby & the Team @ AFRO American Newspapers Source link for sharing this story.
