The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wayne Haydin
Southern University. Class of 2004, law school Class of 2009.
My best friend Reginald, all of his family were Southernites. His first-born daughter, my godchild, is a student there now. My kindergarten teacher and my sixthgrade teacher were alums. When I went to middle school, my band director David Dickerson was fresh off the yard. Growing up in New Orleans, Southern is just everywhere. In the African-American community everything you see is Southern.
Yes, I am a Caucasian European American. Whatever the descriptor we’re going to use today. But I grew up in an African-American part of New Orleans. When I was in the marching band in high school, I was the only white kid in the band until my little brother got in. So a lot of people people ask how did you end up at Southern. It was a natural progression.
I am the first white student government president of Southern University. I didn’t run to be a white president. I ran to be president of the student body.
[During the campaign] people weren’t saying things publicly, but streets talk and it would get back to me. We ran a straight campaign. We’re not going to get a mudslinging. We’re going to talk about what we have planned for me and my crew, what we have, what we can bring to the table, what we can do for you. My qualifications. My resume. We won by a landslide. It wasn’t even close. We were a little naive in thinking that it was only going to cause maybe a ripple, because it caused some waves. I mean it was mentioned on a national syndicated radio talk show. His quote was, “Y’all done let that white boy win?”
A lot of people responded that nobody let me win. I won. That is how elections work.