BGLO and GLO

[GDIfly]

Originally Posted by kathykd2005

We also had several women decline bids ONLY because KD was not a traditionally "black" GLO.

Strange. If they didn't want to join a GLO that wasn't a traditionally "black" one, why were they rushing in the first place? Did NPHC sororities at your campus recruit/intake with the NPC sororities?

I don't think ANY GLOs should be designated "Black" or "White." It implies racism from either side.

This is beautifully idealistic, and I would love to agree, but there are always going to be people who are more "comfortable" with others of the same color.

That sounds terribly racist, I know, but the fact is that, in this country, people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds often identify culturally better with people of the same background as them. Whether this is because they are perceived similarly by American society, because they often fall into the same socio-economic background, because they have shared cultural experiences, or for a multitude of other reasons, groups of people tend to gravitate towards those of the same race or ethnicity.
That is not to say that they necessarily have a problem with people of other colors (though they might), just that they feel more comfortable with those who have more shared life experiences with them, and race/ethnicity provides a huge shared experience.

That being said, for a caucasian person in the United States today, they are the majority. With exceptions, they will generally be surrounded mostly by other white people and thus not feel as though they are a representative for their group. For black people, asians, hispanics, or any other group to which BGLO's and MGLO's cater, they are not provided that comfort in everyday life, but the ability to go to an HBCU or join a BGLO (for example) allows them that cushion of comfort that white people so often take for granted.
So, while we shouldn't force segregation, equalling out the balance of whites and blacks (and asians, and hispanics) in all GLO's would be counterproductive to one of the main functions of the BGLO.