White UA sororities to granddaughter of black UA trustee: We don't want you
 

Great article:

White UA sororities to granddaughter of black UA trustee: We don't want you (John Archibald)

[. . .]

It ought to reach out and grab Alabama right in the here and now. Right here, that is, in this feel-good moment Birmingham is calling "Empowerment Week." To be honest I am thrilled it all came tumbling out now. Because it shows the work that is not done. And it shows us who, today, is doing the work. It is young white sorority girls – Republicans and Democrats together – who stood up to say this is wrong.

It is young reporters Abbey Crain and Matt Ford at the CW who did their homework and due diligence. It is Editor-in-Chief Mazie Bryant – herself a member of Chi Omega – who stepped aside long enough to allow journalism to proceed without influence or interference.

These young people – a third the age of all the decision-makers and status quo protectors -- did more in weeks to change the nature of an ugly and exclusive Greek system than presidents and trustees, chancellors and politicians have done in decades.

These young people have shown Alabama it has to change. It is time.

Link

Have you not noticed the 19+ page thread on this situation? Come over and join the fun.

Yes, I have posted on that thread.

This is a different article published this afternoon. I didn't see it posted on the other thread, but I didn't want to pick through almost 300 posts to make sure.

Boy, the comments on that article are unforgettable.

I'm sure the racism is thick like a fog in the comments section.

It's not so much the racism; you see that in many posts from publications around the country. It's the pride in the racism, the shameless belief that it's right to want racial separation. That's special. I don't see that very much, even on anonymous forums.

A collision of the best and worst of humanity. Yeesh.

Those comments are made anonymously, and there are plenty of regular posters who get their daily jollies by posting outrageous comments, written primarily to provoke a reaction.
It's especially rabid between the super-boosters for both Alabama and Auburn.

Don't take what you read in the comments as the feelings of everybody in the state.

Unfortunately, I see it all the time. Doesn't sound like anything new. People are proud of their stances.

I don't think anyone is saying the whole state is racist, because it's just not true. I will say I have been weary of the south because it seems like the odds go up that I run into the foolishness. The first "racist" situation I encountered was in the south when I was a child and I carry that with me. Still, I would never judge a whole state on stuff like that.

^So true. I rarely read the comments on any news article -- anywhere -- for that reason. This topic is a 2fer for the provocateurs -- Greeks and racism.

The comments won't load for me now -- didn't notice if these loaded earlier.

OK, this is really random, but it said his congressional district includes "part of UA." How can it only include part of it? Would they split the university down the middle? That's weird.

The university is a whole lot bigger than it used to be. My guess is that it used to be all in one district, but it has spilled over the old boundaries.

Also possible that it was deliberately put into two districts back in the day for political reasons, either to dilute the voting power the university community had in any one district, or to give two different reps bragging rights about representing it.

My favorite comments so far:

-"Elitist groups like sororities and fraternities need to just go away."
-"Yeah, because they don't donate to charity or benefit their communities in any way. Spoken like a true GDI."

-"You are such a brown noser. You liberals are sick and don't even know it. You want her in because she is an England and has pedigree? What if she were dark-skinned with a weave from Gate City with an out-of-wedlock child on her hip? Would you feel the same way? Exactly how liberal are you, John?"
-"This comment is a tour de force in missing the point."

That happens a lot even in DC.