Morgan Richardson
Morgan Richardson
She Doesn’t Even Go Here!
She Doesn’t Even Go Here!
Morgan Richardson
Morgan Richardson
Morgan Richardson
Morgan Richardson
Dec 7, 2025
Dec 7, 2025
Dec 7, 2025
This year, the annual Spelhouse homecoming hip-hop concert made history by being held off campus for the very first time at The Dome, a venue adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The first artist introduced was BunnaB, and from my vantage point in the crowd, an excited cheer erupted as everyone began singing along to her hit song, “Bunna Summa,” playing in the background.
However, a TikTok user posted a clip of a group of girls allegedly booing BunnaB’s announcement, and the video made its way to the artist’s personal phone. This video and its implications went largely unnoticed until the night of the concert.
BunnaB, who is notorious for always being bubbly and smiling, looked less than happy to be on the stage. While her demeanor was noticeable, it did not deter the crowd from singing along with her word-for-word throughout her setlist. Bunna came and went without much discourse on her out-of-character behavior.
On Oct. 17, BunnaB went live on her TikTok account, @therealbunnab, castigating the crowd in attendance during her homecoming performance for allegedly booing her during the homecoming reveal.
“I’m never performing in Atlanta until I go on tour,” BunnaB said. “I’m not getting on stage and pouring out my energy to people who don’t want to see it.. y’all wanna say ‘boo’, I’m going to give a ‘boo’ performance.”
Within minutes, online discourse about the "BunnaB and Spelman beef" sparked and quickly spiraled. Many users took to TikTok’s comment sections to express their feelings about Spelman College as a whole. User @citygirltyler commented, “A school full of bougie b******.” Another user, @missmilan, shared, “Spelman be so stuck up it’s not even funny.”
It seems easy to blow off commentary of this nature as chatter from outsiders or a simple online hate train. However, when this level of negative commentary is aimed at a place that you hold near to your heart, it can be damaging, embarrassing and just plain hurtful.
As a Spelman student, it is essential to address the issues in online discussions such as this one. Why is it so easy for the general public to scrutinize the number 1 HBCU in the nation?
Harmony Walker, a first-year biochemistry major, said it plainly.
“It seems like everyone has an assumption about Spelman, and they’re really quick to assume. If someone says something about Spelman online, people take it and run with it,” Walker said.
It truly seems like the internet is steadily watching Spelman, eagerly awaiting the chance to prove whatever notions they have preconceived. As students, we can all recall the "Spelman in the media" talks given by sisters who came before us at New Student Orientation Week, and their calls to action to avoid online controversies at all costs.
It is no secret that schools within the city attend the Spelhouse homecoming events. Students from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University, among others, have been spotted at Spelhouse. Despite this diverse crowd, Spelman has been singled out among them all.
“I really do not like how the blame is being put onto Spelman,” senior comparative women's studies major Joyce Onanana said. “The need to specifically call Spelman out by name seems like it’s coming from a misogynistic place. If anything, the ‘Spelly’ girls were more excited that BunnaB was coming than anybody else.”
When the one school out of at least five other schools singled out on the web is the only all-female institution, it poses the question of inherent bias against women, and in this case, Spelman women, for being prissy, pretentious and artificial.
Maybe it is a confirmation bias rooted in another stereotype: Spelman women are selfish and isolationist. It is easy to think of Spelman as a distant fortress, a 32-acre gated campus in the heart of Vine City. When it seems that a group of elitists is invading the HBCU space and Black communities, it can cause people to turn very quickly.
HBCUs are protected and valued within our communities for being safe spaces where Black students can advance their education, outside the realm of white supremacy. Thankfully, this ugly notion about Spelman’s dissociation from HBCUs could not be further from the truth. According to the Spelman Serves GivePulse, this semester alone, Spelman students have contributed approximately 11,504 service hours to the greater Atlanta community.
Additionally, despite popular belief, Spelman remains a traditional HBCU. The Spelman College 2014-2025 Institutional Fact Book tells us that 20% of Spelman students are first-generation, and over 70% of students have taken out student loans. We are the number one HBCU in the world and number two in social mobility, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
To put it simply, Spelman understands the social complexities of being a Black student, as well as any other HBCU. The generalization of Spelman as a "different HBCU" is harmful rhetoric, not only to the school’s reputation but also to its students themselves.
“I don’t consider myself to be bougie or stuck up,” sophomore English major Zuri Riggins said.“There is no exact Spelman woman, and I think it’s unfair to categorize us into a box.”
Your HBCU is a part of many students' identity, meaning attacks on Spelman College often translate into direct attacks on the students who attend. Unfortunately, when communities perpetuate the confirmation bias against Spelman College, it directly harms the HBCU community as a whole, not just Spelman.
It is one thing to keep it in the family, but it is another to comment on the internet about a school you have not visited, let alone attended. Spelman stands out because of its rigorous coursework and strict admission standards, rather than any notion that its students believe they are superior to anyone.
It is nothing new for Spelman women to be put into the spotlight, whether for praise or criticism. Internet culture is known for spreading misinformation, and many users take information at face value without further question. A few more clicks would have shown many critics that Spelman students were happy to welcome BunnaB to their homecoming celebration.
Freshman biology major Taja Pope understands why BunnaB is upset.
“I think anyone would be upset if they were perceived to be not wanted at their performance,” she said.
The simple truth is that many Spelmanites were excited to see BunnaB perform, and the performance received was not reflective of the energy in the Dome that night. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the importance of having conversations about elitism, especially as the global leaders Spelman women are known to be.
However, a negative experience at a homecoming concert is not relevant to this discussion. It is easy to attack and dismiss what you do not understand, and the elitism conversation online, in relevance to Spelman, is often a mask for racism and sexism.
This year, the annual Spelhouse homecoming hip-hop concert made history by being held off campus for the very first time at The Dome, a venue adjacent to the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The first artist introduced was BunnaB, and from my vantage point in the crowd, an excited cheer erupted as everyone began singing along to her hit song, “Bunna Summa,” playing in the background.
However, a TikTok user posted a clip of a group of girls allegedly booing BunnaB’s announcement, and the video made its way to the artist’s personal phone. This video and its implications went largely unnoticed until the night of the concert.
BunnaB, who is notorious for always being bubbly and smiling, looked less than happy to be on the stage. While her demeanor was noticeable, it did not deter the crowd from singing along with her word-for-word throughout her setlist. Bunna came and went without much discourse on her out-of-character behavior.
On Oct. 17, BunnaB went live on her TikTok account, @therealbunnab, castigating the crowd in attendance during her homecoming performance for allegedly booing her during the homecoming reveal.
“I’m never performing in Atlanta until I go on tour,” BunnaB said. “I’m not getting on stage and pouring out my energy to people who don’t want to see it.. y’all wanna say ‘boo’, I’m going to give a ‘boo’ performance.”
Within minutes, online discourse about the "BunnaB and Spelman beef" sparked and quickly spiraled. Many users took to TikTok’s comment sections to express their feelings about Spelman College as a whole. User @citygirltyler commented, “A school full of bougie b******.” Another user, @missmilan, shared, “Spelman be so stuck up it’s not even funny.”
It seems easy to blow off commentary of this nature as chatter from outsiders or a simple online hate train. However, when this level of negative commentary is aimed at a place that you hold near to your heart, it can be damaging, embarrassing and just plain hurtful.
As a Spelman student, it is essential to address the issues in online discussions such as this one. Why is it so easy for the general public to scrutinize the number 1 HBCU in the nation?
Harmony Walker, a first-year biochemistry major, said it plainly.
“It seems like everyone has an assumption about Spelman, and they’re really quick to assume. If someone says something about Spelman online, people take it and run with it,” Walker said.
It truly seems like the internet is steadily watching Spelman, eagerly awaiting the chance to prove whatever notions they have preconceived. As students, we can all recall the "Spelman in the media" talks given by sisters who came before us at New Student Orientation Week, and their calls to action to avoid online controversies at all costs.
It is no secret that schools within the city attend the Spelhouse homecoming events. Students from Clark Atlanta University, Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University, among others, have been spotted at Spelhouse. Despite this diverse crowd, Spelman has been singled out among them all.
“I really do not like how the blame is being put onto Spelman,” senior comparative women's studies major Joyce Onanana said. “The need to specifically call Spelman out by name seems like it’s coming from a misogynistic place. If anything, the ‘Spelly’ girls were more excited that BunnaB was coming than anybody else.”
When the one school out of at least five other schools singled out on the web is the only all-female institution, it poses the question of inherent bias against women, and in this case, Spelman women, for being prissy, pretentious and artificial.
Maybe it is a confirmation bias rooted in another stereotype: Spelman women are selfish and isolationist. It is easy to think of Spelman as a distant fortress, a 32-acre gated campus in the heart of Vine City. When it seems that a group of elitists is invading the HBCU space and Black communities, it can cause people to turn very quickly.
HBCUs are protected and valued within our communities for being safe spaces where Black students can advance their education, outside the realm of white supremacy. Thankfully, this ugly notion about Spelman’s dissociation from HBCUs could not be further from the truth. According to the Spelman Serves GivePulse, this semester alone, Spelman students have contributed approximately 11,504 service hours to the greater Atlanta community.
Additionally, despite popular belief, Spelman remains a traditional HBCU. The Spelman College 2014-2025 Institutional Fact Book tells us that 20% of Spelman students are first-generation, and over 70% of students have taken out student loans. We are the number one HBCU in the world and number two in social mobility, according to the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.
To put it simply, Spelman understands the social complexities of being a Black student, as well as any other HBCU. The generalization of Spelman as a "different HBCU" is harmful rhetoric, not only to the school’s reputation but also to its students themselves.
“I don’t consider myself to be bougie or stuck up,” sophomore English major Zuri Riggins said.“There is no exact Spelman woman, and I think it’s unfair to categorize us into a box.”
Your HBCU is a part of many students' identity, meaning attacks on Spelman College often translate into direct attacks on the students who attend. Unfortunately, when communities perpetuate the confirmation bias against Spelman College, it directly harms the HBCU community as a whole, not just Spelman.
It is one thing to keep it in the family, but it is another to comment on the internet about a school you have not visited, let alone attended. Spelman stands out because of its rigorous coursework and strict admission standards, rather than any notion that its students believe they are superior to anyone.
It is nothing new for Spelman women to be put into the spotlight, whether for praise or criticism. Internet culture is known for spreading misinformation, and many users take information at face value without further question. A few more clicks would have shown many critics that Spelman students were happy to welcome BunnaB to their homecoming celebration.
Freshman biology major Taja Pope understands why BunnaB is upset.
“I think anyone would be upset if they were perceived to be not wanted at their performance,” she said.
The simple truth is that many Spelmanites were excited to see BunnaB perform, and the performance received was not reflective of the energy in the Dome that night. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the importance of having conversations about elitism, especially as the global leaders Spelman women are known to be.
However, a negative experience at a homecoming concert is not relevant to this discussion. It is easy to attack and dismiss what you do not understand, and the elitism conversation online, in relevance to Spelman, is often a mask for racism and sexism.