I distinctly remember a freshman Greek meet-and-greet forum where the University was described as having "7 wonderful sororities...and 2 historically Black ones." This was a disheartening first impression of the University for many of us (minority and white students included). The distinction between the "regular" sororities and the "other" sororites was made and the line was drawn. Most of us knew what organizations we wished to affiliate ourselves with, so it didn't affect our impressions of the organizations.
What SHOULD they have said? "7 wonderful sororities, INCLUDING 2 historically Black ones." Like I said before, in our little ways, we perpetuate the color line. It may not be so blatant as having separate proms, but the effects are just as lasting.
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Originally posted by RockChalk
I'm wondering that too, tickledpink. I'd also like to know if black students could attend the white prom and vice versa. Could a couple go to both proms? If not, why not? Are they held at the same time?
The issue of racial separation came up on my campus last semester when the student newspaper ran an article about the lack of minorities in white GLOs. The writer of the article didn't seem to understand why black students didn't want to join white GLOs. A member of a BGLO wrote a guest column the next day that basically said, "hey, sometimes people want to hang out with people who are like them - especially in a state like Kansas where there are hardly any people like them." (You can read the original article here and the column right here.)
People shouldn't be barred from activities based on their race. But if they choose not to participate, we should dig a little deeper before accusing anybody of racism.
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