*A Black student at the University of Southern California has gone viral for creating the first majorette team at the predominately White Institution (PWI).
The 8-second video was posted by Twitter user “Princess,” and it shows the majorette team she created called The Cardinal Divas of SC dancing as a crowd of white fans cheer in the background, Newsone reports.
The team recently performed at their first game with @princesslang0 captioning her September 18 clip, “oh nothing… i created a majorette team at a 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 FYEThe Cardinal Divas of SC are UP NEXT.”
The post has been flooded with mixed comments, some Twitter users are in full support of the ladies while others seems less than impreses. The crust of the criticism seems to be the creator of the team bring culture associated with historically Black colleges and universities to a PWI
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oh nothing… i created a majorette team at a 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. pic.twitter.com/vif5e02z4b
— Princess???????? (@princesslang0) September 19, 2022
One social media user said, “As a black girl that went to a PWI, in the SEC, I actually don’t care for this lol. If you want the HBCU experience, then that’s where u should’ve went. I also don’t believe in taking away (enrollment/tuition) from the HBCUs that will give you this experience.”
“This is great and all but why not just go to an HBCU…,” asked one Twitter user.
“While individuals are using the terminology ‘Majorettes’ to describe this dance-style, that is actually incorrect; the proper connotative word is ‘J-Setting or ‘J-Settes’ or ‘Drill Teams’, which is a derivative of the Jackson State University ‘J-Settes’ from whence its named,” noted one commenter.
Several comments noted that white people attend HBCUs and join Black fraternities and sororities, so what’s the big deal with a Black majorette team at a PWI?
@cardinaldivasofsc x @uscedu????❤️
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USC now has a majorette team and we go by the name of THE CARDINAL DIVAS OF SC!! ALL LOVE! WE UP NEXT!????
speared head by the president/captain: @princesslang0
vice president/captain: @jadaaa.walker
choreographer: @jiggyjai#cardinaldivasofsc pic.twitter.com/9wT9BQWBij— Jada Walker (@jadaawalker) September 19, 2022
Essence caught up with the woman behind USC’s first majorette team, Princess Isis Lang. The 20-year-old is a musical theater major who was a majorette at her Chicago high school.
“I did want to attend an HBCU,” she told ESSENCE. “It just didn’t really work out for me. I didn’t want to stay in college longer and pay so much more money when I knew that there was another school that had the opportunities, connections and believed in me the same way.”
She credits Mark Munson, one of USC’s associate directors of recreational sports, for being instrumental in making her majorette team possible.
“If it wasn’t for Mike Munson, I don’t know if my majorette team would be where it’s at right now this soon,” Lang said. “He really believed in me, he didn’t even question anything.”
The Cardinal Divas of SC made their debut on September 17 at the USC versus Fresno State football game.
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