Race & Sororities
 

Hi
I'm a bi-racial (black/white) female attending Ole Miss in the fall. I want to rush, but I don't want to limit myself to historically black sororities. Is race a deciding factor in most sororities? Are any of you members of sororities with members of a race other than the majority?

Any advice or information will be greatly appreciated.

Discretion is key. That's all I'll say about it.

Believe it or not all kinds of people (not just black) join the historically black organizations. We have a lot to offer and rich legacies so you would not be "limiting" yourself but yes, explore all the organizations you want to. Race is not as big as it once was in these orgs although things are different on different campuses and in different chapters. All you can do is be yourself and go for it and do the research. Good Luck.

Ditto this. Just don't make a big deal of race either way, and you should be ok.

I think at Ole Miss, this may not be true. Maybe OleMissGlitter will come by and comment on the racial make-up of the sororities at Ole Miss. I refuse to call any of the chapter members racists since the lack of non-white members may be due to a lack of non-white PNMs, but I can't remember seeing too may non-white members in the pictures from that campus. Can someone give this woman an honest answer? She can rush if she wants, but maybe she should have a realistic idea of her chances.

My sister was a Phi Mu at Ole Miss. Rushess are predominantely white, but they're not all blonde and blue-eyed. If you get my drift....that is why I advised the OP to just not mention it either way.

It's really sad that this is still an issue in today's world.

I agree it's sad, but realistically in the south it will be a problem for awhile longer. I'm ashamed to look back and know that my chapter would NEVER have pledged an African American member. It was the culture of the times, and I am shamed that I didn't find fault with it then.

As for not mentioning it, we have no idea what this woman looks like. Not all mixed race people can hide their ethnicity, nor do many of them want to.

Although this would ideally be the case, and is the case at the vast majority of colleges and universities, there are still some parts of the country where this view is hopelessly naive. I know full well that if I hadn't rushed where I did, that I may not have been accepted with open arms the way I was in my chapter.

Do you mean that she shouldn't ask them the question she asked GC?

Or do you mean that race is one of those topics like politics and religion that should be avoided, altogether. I don't agree with restricting topics like that but a lot of people do.

Why shouldn't it still be an issue? Has something changed and I wasn't sent the memo?

It will be a problem everywhere. Other regions just hide it better and people overlook the obvious because it makes them feel progressive.

All of these orgs are predominantly (insert race and ethnicity of the founders). There may be a bit more diversity at some chapters outside of the South but it's not enough difference to challenge the predominant racial makeup.

Oh, she meant for the OP to hide it? Hmmmm.

That's sad and has opposite than the desired effect. It makes race, ethnicity, and culture some kind of scarlet letter or controversial topic when it doesn't have to be. The way to make race not a bad thing is NOT to ignore it altogether. We all were taught some racial, ethnic, or cultural identities.

I totally agree. I grew up in the South, was educated in New England, and now I live in New York City. Ironically, I found that race relations are much better in the South than in NYC, in part because there is less segregation based on socioeconomics and national origin.

As has been mentioned, it may well be that a lack of non-white pnms is the cause of largely white chapters. That was the case at SMU - NPC sororities were criticized for not having any non-white members, and it was pointed out that there had been none who had gone through rush. Once some pnms of color went through, they were pledged. OP, perhaps you are the pioneer who can blaze a trail. If you are interested in what NPC sororities have to offer, I would encourage you to go through recruitment whether or not the current chapter make-up reflects your ethnic or racial background.

I did not mean for the OP to hide her race, I should have clarified... I would not make a mention of her race being a deciding factor to the sororities when obtaining recs or during rush. This was in response to her comment re: limiting herself.

I think it's probably difficult for any black woman to get a 100% fair rush in the South or parts of the Midwest, partly due to the fact that 99% of rushees are white. I went to a Big 12 with a very active Greek system and only recall 3-4 black rushees coming through while I was on the chapter side of rush. They all got bids to decent houses.