Tuskegee University’s updated dress code has revived an old debate about professionalism, respectability politics, and how much responsibility Black institutions should take in preparing young people for the larger world.

Tuskegee recently prohibited bonnets, du-rags, bedroom shoes, and “revealing clothing” from classrooms and dining halls. In a recent letter to students, President Mark A. Brown said the goal was to prepare students for the workforce.

The decision ignited an ongoing and, at times, contentious discussion: proponents referring to it as preparation, detractors chiding the ban as respectability politics disguised as preparation, with some going as far as to label such action “anti-Black.” Some decry that Black students are being held to different standards than their peers at predominantly white institutions, who often show up to class in casual wear. As I see it, the issue is greater than a university’s dress code requirements. Both camps raise valid concerns.

Anyone with a healthy knowledge of American history is aware of the fact Black people have routinely been expected — in some cases, demanded — to redefine themselves to become socially palatable to institutions whose standards or........

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