well, all i know is i went to college in georgia where all-white sororities existed on my campus
when i walked through the rush doors of several 'top' sororities, i heard gasps like they weren't expecting me to be black
first, i had letters from 3 sororities that most of my family members belong to
i had one of the highest GPAs of every rush class
i was already doing volunteer work at one of the sororities philanthropies
the first day, i was cut by all but 2 sororities
and the next day, after the rush parties i told my rush counselor that i was dropping out
when she came back from telling the director, they all came to my room because i didn't get invited back anyway
and they wanted to make sure that 'i was okay with that'

i know that i didn't get in because of the whole race thing
my plan was to go to a northern school, get in one of the sororities that was on that campus, and go back down there and say 'hey, remember me?'
but i didn't
i figured that they weren't worth my time anyway

and it's funny to note
i transferred to a northern school and went through rush as a 2nd yr sophomore
my GPA wasn't even that great(i think it was a 3.0)
and all of the sororities were clamouring for me
i did decide to join one but after having a horrifying experience
i dropped out a week before initiation because i couldn't get past the fact that this sorority in the south had dropped me
thank goodness, i found Phi Sigma Sigma

You mean you are black LOL!
Girl, that is more class than most girls at 18 have!

I have a friend, who is black, in another sorority. She went through formal recruitment once and was dropped by all of the sororities. She went through again and received a bid from ADPi. She is the first black lady of that particular ADPi chapter. You know what? She was elected as the executive panhellenic representive the first time she could run for an exec position (which was almost 2 years ago). Do you want to know what position she's finishing her term as of now? PRESIDENT!

I am at a very southern school and this is proof that not all southerners are racist pigs. I know northerners just LOVE poking fun at our so-called "acceptance of racist individuals".

In fact, the racist pigs are INDIVIDUALS of the South, NOT the whole crop of southerners. My friend isn't my "token" black friend. I don't have token friends. Otherwise, they wouldn't be my friends. I have TRUE friends which is more than a lot of people can say whether they are in the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, or West coast.

I'm so glad for you too!!!

Edited, based on Adrienne's sound advice, to remove my own snide and passive-aggressive comments... except for the snide comment above.

Ah, passive-aggression. There are so many ways I can slam that approach I can't pick just one.

A couple of corrections, dear.

Your assumption is wrong, I am not from "the south". I was born and raised in New Jersey where I learned about discrimination by being on the receiving end of it. So there's no misunderstanding, New Jersey is NORTH of the Mason-Dixon line.

I also never said anything about the relative prevalence of racism--I DID say that it happens all over, it is just expressed in different ways. Did you even get to that post before shooting off your own?

I've lived long enough and travelled enough and lived in enough places to know that generalizations about racism and where it occurs have plenty of exceptions. I also know that similar incidents of racism get covered by the press differently depending on where they happen.

It isn't necessary to be snide and passive-aggressive in these discussions.

Adrienne
:rolleyes:

Sugar and Spice, please believe me, as one Southerner on GC, that I take no offense at all when people want to talk about racism in this country in general and in the South in particular. Of course we still have problems, some serious problems, with racism here -- I'd have to be a fool to deny it. And without question, we have a history rife with racism and racial injuctice -- I'd have to be a historical revisionist to deny that.

But what offends me and others, and what often derails these conversations (and, yes, what makes me defensive) is the "holier-than-thou" attitude that we often (not always, but often) hear (read) from those who don't live here -- the "Thank God I live somewhere enlightened and not in the racist South" comments.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that some of us Southerners get way too defensive if the words "racist" and "South" are even used in the same paragraph. I hope I am not one of those people. But frankly I have little patience with the South-bashing types (and I appreciate that you are not one), who in my view are simply making themselves feel better about racial prejudice by replacing it with regional prejudice.

the fact still remains that she was dropped the first time
why does it take 2 and 3 times for black girls to get into sororities?
well, it doesn't matter. . .i was on my executive board within 3 months of my initiation and the next year, i went on to be vice president
i dont want to be president. . .i'm too opinionated and i want my vote to count

and if sororities are so worried about their precious images, tell them to quit playing and dancing to hip hop music at their socials and mixers
because most of that music is made by black people

If I Had My Druthers...
 

I'd much rather deal with the overt brand of discrimination that exists in the South (and this is coming from a Southerner, mind you) than the more benign discrimination that exists in other parts of the country. At least in the South when people don't like you/don't want you, there's no hemming and hawing. You know it, you know how to deal with it (usually by laughing at them) and then you move on.

Oh, and while we're trading anecdotes about the liberalism of the Midwest, let me tell the story of a good friend of mine who, when his family moved to Atlanta from Wisconsin, was told to "be careful in (n-word) town" and "watch your back, keep your doors locked, and stay away from (n-word)."

Playing tit-for-tat gets us nowhere. Racism sucks. Period. That being said, I often wonder if there's any real purpose in threads like this on GC? We all have our firmly entrenched positions, and y'know, it's great to trade them and all, but do you (we) honestly think we're going to convince someone to change his/her mind based on something they read on a message board?

Entertaining is one thing. Connecting through the bonds of sisterhood is quite another, apparently. :rolleyes: But even this is nothing new - think back to the 50s and 60s where white kids could dance to music by black artists on American Bandstand and other shows, but black kids weren't allowed to appear on camera, or if they were, they had special "negro days".

Yeah, they'd be used to ride the subway or to play skee-ball! :D

(Okay, okay, bad attempt at humour. Sue me. :D)

For the 1865th time, nobody means that every single person below the Mason-Dixon line is a racist. We mean that there are generally more individuals down South who let their racist tendencies shine. I think part of this is that the South is much more traditional and conservative than the rest of the nation.*

*Note I did not say this was a bad thing, I did not make fun of it, I made a statement which can be and has been backed up by facts, studies, polls, etc, etc, etc.

I was afraid of this...
I started talking about a sh*t stirrer who ran to the Crimson White and the thread gets hijacked with the North vs South BS. :rolleyes:



I agree with this. And there are some parts of the M-D line that I would not be caught dead in.

ie: Bensonhurst section of NY, South Boston, Northern Idaho (well I am glad that the neo Nazis got kicked out of there)

But those are just 3 places

Now back to the friggin topic!
 

This was posted today in Crimson White
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v.../3f73ec29751ed

This should shut miss thang up!

International chapter calls allegations false
By Megan Nichols
Senior Staff Reporter
September 26, 2003


Gamma Phi Beta's international headquarters denied Thursday that its UA chapter committed any wrongdoing in the process of accepting a black woman and integrating the Capstone's traditionally white sororities during last month's Rush.

In a press release sent to The Crimson White, Gamma Phi Beta's international headquarters said it inquired into allegations reported in Wednesday's edition of The CW and found them to be false.

Former member Stephanie McGee made the allegations against the sorority. She claimed to have observed abnormal procedures when black freshman Carla Ferguson of Tuscaloosa was offered a bid. McGee said only 10 executives were allowed to vote on Ferguson's bid.

McGee also said she believed Gamma Phi Beta rigged Ferguson's acceptance so it could acquire a spot in the Machine, a select coalition of traditionally white fraternities and sororities designed to influence campus politics.

Repeated efforts to reach McGee for further comment were unsuccessful Thursday.

The international chapter's press release said a collegiate leadership consultant from the international organization was present during all of Gamma Phi Beta's Rush activities.

The consultant confirmed that sorority members followed proper procedure, the release said.

"We followed the voting procedures set forth by our International Rules and Procedures, Carla Ferguson meets and exceeds all of our standards of membership, and we are very proud and happy to have her as a sister in Gamma Phi Beta," said Sunnie Corcoran, president of Gamma Phi Beta's UA chapter, in the press release.

Rebecca Beardslee, director of communications for Gamma Phi Beta's international chapter, said she was unprepared to say whether the collegiate leadership consultant was present at all times during Rush. She declined further comment.

Repeated attempts to reach Panhellenic Association President Heather Schacht for comment were unsuccessful Thursday.

Tim Hebson, assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Student Judicial Affairs, said Thursday the University is not planning an investigation into the allegations surrounding Gamma Phi Beta's Rush.

"[The allegations] are totally not valid, and we've already talked to their international person, the chapter adviser, the members of the sorority, and there is just not any credible evidence to do anything at all," he said.

Hebson said the University would launch an investigation into the matter if any further evidence comes to light.

He said the University would investigate if a student files a complaint with Judicial Affairs, but no complaint has been filed thus far.

"At this point there are no plans at all to investigate the sorority," Hebson said.

Now sis, you know I love you and everything, but if you post a thread that has even a hint of a race-based theme on GC, this is what happens.

My suggestion? Let the whole Bama thing die. The less attention we pay to Carla Ferguson and her new member period, the happier I'm sure she will be. As long as we keep treating integration as a big deal (in 2003, no less) the more people are going to keep treating it as some sort of peculiar anacrhonistic Southern tradition.

ummmm.....

I don't think we (as in GC) are the ones writing a zillion stories about it in the Crimson White. But it's a Greek related story that has been put out there and therefore, we (as in GC) are discussing it and the effect it will have on Greeks nationwide.

I agree with what you are saying, but I think you are telling the wrong people.