Minorities in 'white' frats/sororities

[CaliPhiSig03]

It is Iran, but most people from there call themselves Persian. At least here in Southern California.

Originally posted by CaliPhiSig03
It is Iran, but most people from there call themselves Persian. At least here in Southern California.

Trying to avoid a stigma?

//trying her hardest to cut down on thread-jacking, she promises..

[Rudey]

Originally posted by carol9a
Trying to avoid a stigma?

//trying her hardest to cut down on thread-jacking, she promises..

No. The name of Iran has only been in existence for a short while.

-Rudey

[DGMarie]

since 1935

[Rudey]

Originally posted by DGMarie
since 1935

Since 500 BC, the country was Persia - that is 2485 years. In 1935 it became known as Iran and in 1979 the Islamic Republic of Iran - a 69 year short history; hence a short while.

-Rudey

[sigtau305]

Originally posted by roqueemae
Sigma Tau Gamma STG is an IFC Fraternity. My daddy is one.

[CaliPhiSig03]

Edited because I just woke up from a nap and am totally delirious.

[mccoyred]

Just curious about your screen name. Samba is a feminine version of Sambo....

Originally posted by sambadoll
I am one of maybe four minorities in my house. I am also the only black girl and one of two black girls in NPC. It doens't really matter bc they love me ( the whole mutually chosen thing) and I pref-ed at really decent houses, so I don't wonder about discrimmination or anything. I just wonder if it's similar elsewhere with few minorities in your NPC/ IFC. I would like some non-heated, diplomatic, thoughtful speculations, as to why there are so few minorities and whether you personally believe there are biases on either side. Do minorities tend to stick to one particular house?


Chi Omega
Eta Delta

[33girl]

Originally posted by mccoyred
Just curious about your screen name. Samba is a feminine version of Sambo....

It's also a dance and a cologne (albeit a somewhat stinky one). I wouldn't assume the worst.

[phikappapsiman]

So here's my funny "minority" story...

Back in the late 1980's (around 1989 or so), I decided to take a road trip from my parents house in Tennessee back to Palo Alto. I had been out of college for a few years, and I really wanted to see some of the other Phi Psi chapters, knowing that my chapter at Stanford was DEFINITELY more racially diverse than others, especially in the South. So, I was really apprehensive about stopping by Ole Miss and OU and some of the other schools, because even though I am a Brother (fraternity wise), I am also a Brother (African-American wise) as well.

Anyway, I pull up to the Ole Miss house, debating whether or not to go knock on the door, and I basically say to myself, "...What the F***..." and knock. This guy opens the door, I introduce myself, and he made me feel SO welcome-it was like visiting a chapter anywhere! I stayed the night, talked to the guys, and I even met up with a few of them in Memphis a few years later as they were trying to start an alumni chapter there.

The bottom line is...I was so caught up in my own worries and insecurity about race that I overlooked the important thing-I was as much of a brother as any other Phi Psi. Now, would I have ever been a member of that chapter? Probably not, but each chapter is individual and chooses their members based upon what is best for that particular chapter. My Cal Beta chapter is not the same as PhiPsiRuss's Florida Alpha chapter, or IowaStatePhiPsi's Iowa Beta chapter, but I am sure that if I were to visit either one, I would be welcome, as they would at my chapter. College life is so short that finding a group that you like and that likes you should be the one thing that matters most...

"...I can't deny the fact that you like me...Right now you LIKE me!..."
Sally Field, Oscar Night 1984

[KSUViolet06]

I'm going to be really bold and say something:

As a black member of an NPC sorority, I think others like me need to just be Phi Mu, Tri Sigma, Chi Omega or whatever and not be concerned wth whatever anyone else thinks or speculates about their membership. I sure don't.

And in response as to why bblacks and hispanics don't typically join NPC's, I'll repost what I said in another thread.

---------

Speaking as a Black member of an NPC sorority:

Ok, we can all agree that NPC's are HISTORICALLY white organizations although not entirely (I'm evidence of that). All I think people are trying to say is that you should qualify it with "historically" instead of just white because that gives the impression that the org is specifically for whites. Hence the reason why I don't say "black fraternity/sorority", because it unfairly limits the organization.

And also, while I think diversity in our chapters is important, I do not feel it's appropriate to "target" minority women for that specific reason. I'm a Tri Sigma because my sisters felt I would make a good addition to the chapter, NOT because I would make it "diverse". I think sometimes that we as a conference need to let our organizations speak for themselves and not look at diversity as this quantitative thing that can be measured by the number of faces like mine on a composite.

And on the subject of why multicutural organization exist, people have different needs. Yes, NPC/IFC's serve a myriad of non-race specific causes (Children's Miracle Network, Make A Wish, etc) and that's great. Our organizations are changing as more and more women of different races go through recruitment. The values encompassed by NPC's are those that are shared by a universal group of women no matter their color.


THERE are many men and women who would prefer to join something that was FOUNDED on the core values of their culture and building their community up. As all encompassing as NPC's mission is, it cannot specifically address the needs of the hispanic/black/asian communities in the specific way that multicultural or orgs historically based in those cultures can. Those orgs exist to honor build and address the needs of men and women in those communites and for them to keep their "ear" to what goes on there while working closely with people of their own race. There is nothing wrong with that.

Again, I love being in the NPC, it encompasses all types of women and charitable causes. But some women prefer to address the needs of their specific ethnic community and with the broadness of the NPC, she may be more likely to be able to so in an NPHC or multicultural org.

Simply put, the NPC/IFC cannot address the issues and causes SPECIFICALLY facing African Americans, Hispanics, etc. so that's where these organizations come in and I respect them. They have a very important and valid place in the Greek world.

[DGqueen17]

I dunno. When I first saw this thread I was like huh? Because I never think about the fact that some of my sisters are black. I just think of them as crazy Sarah or Amy with the cute Burberry bag. Just my sisters.

[Munchkin03]

Originally posted by TheEpitome1920
We've had instances were NPC women will tell women (both white and non-white) that our organizations are only for Black/Latino/Asian women. It's sad because they actually thought they were telling them the truth. I honestly don't see how anyone could believe that in this day and age.

Oh, I can see how it happens, especially when the NPHC chapters at your campus might be all African-American. Sometimes, and this is even more true when you're only a freshman or sophomore, you aren't 100% aware of the fact that not every Greek system is exactly like yours. I've had plenty of NPHC members tell me that my organization was just for white women...au contraire!

At my undergrad, there were a lot of people--Greeks and non-Greeks--who thought Kappa Alpha Theta was a nationally Jewish sorority because of the fact that the vast majority of sisters were Jewish, they co-sponsored several annual events with Hillel, and they had mixers with AEPi. They obviously aren't, but that was the frame of reference my classmates had to go on.

[roqueemae]

This post makes me all warm and fuzzy-like

Originally posted by phikappapsiman
So here's my funny "minority" story...

Back in the late 1980's (around 1989 or so), I decided to take a road trip from my parents house in Tennessee back to Palo Alto. I had been out of college for a few years, and I really wanted to see some of the other Phi Psi chapters, knowing that my chapter at Stanford was DEFINITELY more racially diverse than others, especially in the South. So, I was really apprehensive about stopping by Ole Miss and OU and some of the other schools, because even though I am a Brother (fraternity wise), I am also a Brother (African-American wise) as well.

Anyway, I pull up to the Ole Miss house, debating whether or not to go knock on the door, and I basically say to myself, "...What the F***..." and knock. This guy opens the door, I introduce myself, and he made me feel SO welcome-it was like visiting a chapter anywhere! I stayed the night, talked to the guys, and I even met up with a few of them in Memphis a few years later as they were trying to start an alumni chapter there.

The bottom line is...I was so caught up in my own worries and insecurity about race that I overlooked the important thing-I was as much of a brother as any other Phi Psi. Now, would I have ever been a member of that chapter? Probably not, but each chapter is individual and chooses their members based upon what is best for that particular chapter. My Cal Beta chapter is not the same as PhiPsiRuss's Florida Alpha chapter, or IowaStatePhiPsi's Iowa Beta chapter, but I am sure that if I were to visit either one, I would be welcome, as they would at my chapter. College life is so short that finding a group that you like and that likes you should be the one thing that matters most...

"...I can't deny the fact that you like me...Right now you LIKE me!..."
Sally Field, Oscar Night 1984

[sigtau305]

Originally posted by JocelynC
I'm going to be really bold and say something:

As a black member of an NPC sorority, I think others like me need to just be Phi Mu, Tri Sigma, Chi Omega or whatever and not be concerned wth whatever anyone else thinks or speculates about their membership. I sure don't.

And in response as to why bblacks and hispanics don't typically join NPC's, I'll repost what I said in another thread.

---------

Speaking as a Black member of an NPC sorority:

Ok, we can all agree that NPC's are HISTORICALLY white organizations although not entirely (I'm evidence of that). All I think people are trying to say is that you should qualify it with "historically" instead of just white because that gives the impression that the org is specifically for whites. Hence the reason why I don't say "black fraternity/sorority", because it unfairly limits the organization.

And also, while I think diversity in our chapters is important, I do not feel it's appropriate to "target" minority women for that specific reason. I'm a Tri Sigma because my sisters felt I would make a good addition to the chapter, NOT because I would make it "diverse". I think sometimes that we as a conference need to let our organizations speak for themselves and not look at diversity as this quantitative thing that can be measured by the number of faces like mine on a composite.

And on the subject of why multicutural organization exist, people have different needs. Yes, NPC/IFC's serve a myriad of non-race specific causes (Children's Miracle Network, Make A Wish, etc) and that's great. Our organizations are changing as more and more women of different races go through recruitment. The values encompassed by NPC's are those that are shared by a universal group of women no matter their color.


THERE are many men and women who would prefer to join something that was FOUNDED on the core values of their culture and building their community up. As all encompassing as NPC's mission is, it cannot specifically address the needs of the hispanic/black/asian communities in the specific way that multicultural or orgs historically based in those cultures can. Those orgs exist to honor build and address the needs of men and women in those communites and for them to keep their "ear" to what goes on there while working closely with people of their own race. There is nothing wrong with that.

Again, I love being in the NPC, it encompasses all types of women and charitable causes. But some women prefer to address the needs of their specific ethnic community and with the broadness of the NPC, she may be more likely to be able to so in an NPHC or multicultural org.

Simply put, the NPC/IFC cannot address the issues and causes SPECIFICALLY facing African Americans, Hispanics, etc. so that's where these organizations come in and I respect them. They have a very important and valid place in the Greek world.

Good Post.