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Originally Posted by sigmadiva
These women would be owed an apology. But if the evidence hangs on the picture of the chapter members that was posted, it would not be hard for someone to try to connect their appearance in the photo with other photos of white people in blackface. It is too close for comfort. And as I told DTDAlum, interpretation of the photo is completely subjective.
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The gold-mining costumes in the photo were probably the most benign costumes at the party. As far as context, the CALIFORNIA Gold Rush shouldn't be a context so remote -- especially for students at a university in CALIFORNIA.
To soft-peddle what the Afrikan org and the University did as a "response" is grossly minimalizing what they actually did -- which was incite hysteria and punish based on nothing whatsoever. The students in the orgs unjustly attacked and punished absolutely deserve an apology and at the very least an official statement to clear the reputation of their orgs.
I doubt the official statement/correction would get the attention that the original accusations and "response" did, but it should. The UC Davis student newspaper further embellished the false accusations with its own version of events as if these were fact. I wouldn't want articles like this hanging out there about my org when the accusation is just not true:
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Imagine that you’re at a party. Music is playing, alcohol is flowing and suddenly, some people arrive in blackface. The other members of the party continue about their business, seemingly unfazed. No one speaks up; no one asks for the blackface to be removed. Some people might even laugh.
This might sound like a scene straight out of the 1920s, but it happened just last week, when the UCLA chapters of the Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) fraternity and the Alpha Phi sorority made headlines after photos emerged of members wearing blackface, dressed up in chains and oversized clothing at a “Kanye-Western” themed party.
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http://www.theaggie.org/2015/10/14/racist-offenses-embarrass-uc-system/