Black Greek System in Jeopardy
 

http://www.newsok.com/cgi-bin/show_a...&TP=getarticle

Black Greek system in jeopardy, author says
2004-02-04

The only institutions more important in black communities than the
church are sororities and fraternities, a scholar who has studied the
black Greek system said Tuesday.
But if the black Greek system doesn't find a way to stamp out
dangerous and occasionally deadly hazing, the 100-year-old system
might not survive another century, said Walter Kimbrough, vice
president for student affairs at Albany State University in Georgia
and author of the book "Black Greek 101: The Culture, Customs and
Challenges of Black Fraternities and Sororities."

Kimbrough flew into Oklahoma for a speech at the Henderson-Tolson
Cultural Center at the University of Oklahoma, which has nine black
sororities and fraternities with 88 total members.

While the white Greek system is plagued by alcohol-related problems,
drinking is not such an issue in the black system, possibly because
black students have less disposable income, Kimbrough said. Physical
hazing is the scourge of the black Greek system, he said.

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, the umbrella organization for
black sororities and fraternities, officially ended pledging in 1990
in an effort to stop hazing. But Kimbrough said the ban only drove
the long-standing practice underground.

His book lists 10 hazing incidents in 2000 and 2001, including one
death. Several victims needed medical attention, surgery or dental
work.

There have been more hazing incidents since then, Kimbrough said,
including the drowning deaths of two California students in 2002,
which led to a $100 million lawsuit against Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority. That lawsuit has the potential to close the organization,
which was the first black Greek-lettered sorority, founded in 1908 by
16 students at Howard University.

"These are the messages I'm trying to get out to students: 'You could
be responsible for closing an organization that is almost 100 years
old because you want to haze someone," Kimbrough said.

While only about 10 percent of black college students join fraternal
organizations, many more blacks finish college and then join graduate
chapters, which remain active in their communities, Kimbrough said.

The fraternal organizations offer new graduates important social and
professional development opportunities, he said.

"The black church is this mainstay institution in the black
community, and black fraternities and sororities are the same thing,"
Kimbrough said. "Their main focus and purpose is to support the black
community."

Every major religious and civil rights leader, including Jesse
Jackson, Martin Luther King Jr. and Thurgood Marshall, were members
of black fraternal organizations, he said.

Black fraternal organizations grew up in the 20th century as a way
for college students to connect to their higher education
institutions and to provide them with a support system, Kimbrough
said.

For most of that century, blacks were not admitted to white
sororities and fraternities. While the formerly all-white Greek
organizations now welcome all races and ethnicities, most blacks
still prefer to join the historically black fraternities and
sororities, he said.

"It's an extension of the black family," Kimbrough said. "I really
think that makes it impossible" to merge the two systems.

Isnt this the same person who was selling the "unauthorized" histories of each org?:rolleyes:

No, Nikki. Dr. Kimbrough is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha and he's a very reliable scholar on NPHC and other ethnic Greek letter organizations.

I think you're confusing him with "Big Walt" Anderson.:rolleyes:

Dr. Kimbrough is just now realizing this?
 

Quite honestly, I could have told him this 4-5 years ago. The writing was indeliably on the wall back then and the circumstances was pointing to this direction for a very long time.

which black communities? the southern ones? because (and just my opinion, i can only speak from my point) i dont see either of these as important institutions right now. historically, yes. today? not quite.

Am i missing it? becuase i would like to think im part of the "black community" (which there is more than one, so some may not be albe to identify with others on) and since i am, maybe it passed me?

I've read the book and it's very interesting. It's also a little scary of non-greeks..

I just got the book from the library last week however I haven't had a chance to read it. While skimming through the book I did see the case history of the hazing and I can say it is scary to see how people can let others abuse them.

p.s. i have read the book a few times (part of research) and while it gives the good about black greek orgs, it gave a lot of the realistic bads--i mean, what org would want people to know they did things like this to ppl, and it was swept under the rug, and sometimes paid off to the families of the victims, and still walk around with their heads high and mighty becuase they do for the community and acheive great things?

call me being radical here, but to me, thats no better that black on black crimes, or a shady CEO who commits harassment and gets away with it. seems like hazing incidents that resulted in injury have happened so much, it became normalized, and while bones were broken and lives were lost, people still want to be an XYZ.

i mean damn, how far are u willing to go? i mean, its only a few weeks of sacrifice out of a lifetime of...(you fill in your personal blanks)

if anyone wants to challenge that from a greek POV, go forth. im all ears. (and aside from, "you wouldnt understand becuase your not a part of it.")

Was your research to become part of an organization?

not to be on the defensive, but why would that matter as opposed to, lets say, i was writing a paper?

Just wondering because (from they way I am reading it) if your interested, then your comments showed negativity towards greek letter organizations.

IF you are still doing research for a paper on hazing then I hope your still researching your topic and adding a chapter on ways greek letter orgs are stopping hazing and using the law to punish the offenders.

I certainly do not want to show negativity towards greek letter organizations because I think they are all dynamic and I'm so happy they are in existence.

I just want to say that I think the pledging process can be an intense bonding and learning experience with out physical abuse. Some people just take it too far in my opinion. I'm thinking the pledging process can be physically demanding (building strength) and mentally challenging while promoting togetherness and transferring knowledge.

What I do not like is the fact that some people don't seem to have to go through much of anything while others are totally stressed while they battle the burning sands.

I have seen individuals call their mommies and other authorities for help because they were not strong enough to handle themselves or because they wanted a free ride. Just because their moms are fierce warriors, that doesn't mean their offsprings always are.

(And I am not talking about any greek letter organization in particular. Many things I have witnessed have nothing to do with Panhellenic Orgs. Hazing goes on in various other arenas)

The bigger question is how far are YOU willing to go? And the reason that WHY you were researching makes a difference in your question is obvious. If you were writing a paper, my guess is that you would be finished with that by now. And now you are a poster on GREEKchat. So the obvious assumption is that you are interested in a GREEK organization. I realize that it's an assumption. If, however, the assumption is correct, the questions that you pose would be better posed to yourself. Everyone's tolerance level is different.

Here is a question: Should the actions of a FEW reflect so negatively on an organization of 200,000 that people would NOT want to be an XYZ? Because if that is the case, no one would belong to ANYTHING.

In MY experience in MY sisterhood, the positive FAR outweighs the negative. And that's all I have to say about that.

The problem is, it's not the organization that is doing this to ppl, but some individuals that happen to be in a particular org. The organization doesn't sweep anything under the rug; these ppl are being punished. You can actually research this as well.

I also think the best question is, how far are you willing to go? If you were interested in an org, after stating the above, are you still interested? Why would you join now if you view the organization in this light? Maybe because of the positive things that they do? (rhetorical). And you're right, it is a lifetime commitment. So if you became a member, you have a lifetime to enjoy those positive aspects of that organization that made you want to join in the first place.