[CarolinaCutie]

I usually don't get involved with the racial discussions on GC, although I always read them with interest.

I guess what I'm curious to understand is... Why does it have to be about the "token" minority? On my campus, there are several NIC fraternities and NPC sororities with black members. When I see them on campus, I don't think, "Oh, there's XYZ trying to show the world how diverse they are!" It's just another fellow Greek. Is it possible *gasp* that the black men and women are there because they LIKED the brotherhood/sisterhood? Is it possible that the fraternity/sorority members picked them because they were fun and brought many good qualities to the table, instead of choosing them to add to their diversity?

And this is in the South...

Maybe it's because I'm white that I don't always think about race. (Not to imply that minorities are constantly thinking about race, but I would think it is more prevalent in their consciousness on a day-to-day basis). But to me, the membership of a black man in a "white" fraternity is not THAT big of a deal. I would feel sad if I found out that these men and women felt like they were tokens in their orgs.

So if anyone can help me out in understanding the huge significance of this, I'd like to understand.

And on the note of his family's reaction- I would like to think that my mother and father would support me in any activity they didn't perceive as harmful. If my mother behaved that way, acting like she was going to stop paying my tuition, it would make me feel like she didn't think I could make good choices by myself. What a blow to the self-esteem!