Historical Discrimination within Greek Life at Tufts

[sorority_woman]

Originally Posted by d59u

It is probably difficult for today's students to understand the archaic habits of 50 years ago. It was at least a decade long struggle and confronted EVERY organization, not just those sited from Tufts. Interestingly, it was one of those things that started from the "bottom up" not "top down" decisions that have affected other changes in our organizations. It began on the east & west coasts. I was in the midwest where we were somewhat open-minded but not necessarily in favor, but caught between the "pro" coasts and adamantly opposed south. I look back now and wonder why we even thought that way and am thankful the we have come so far.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I, too, am thankful that we have come as far as we have, even though there is still more to go.

This struggle affected every organization and everywhere across the country, just as the broader struggle of civil rights every person across the country. I'm a Tufts alumna, so I came across it as I was looking into sorority histories at Tufts. I had heard that Tufts had had Sigma Kappa and Alpha Xi Delta chapters at one point, which is how I found the articles.

Through further research I found that Sigma Kappa has been cited as the first NPC to pledge a non-caucasian woman, in 1956 at Cornell. So that seems like it could have been the match that lit this fire. Or maybe both chapters were thinking the same thing at around the same time.

Originally Posted by DaffyKD

More than a decade long struggle. The struggle was still going on when I pledged in August 1971. As a member of a minority who did pledge a NPC chapter, I definitely felt the struggle. I was from progressive California, but was told by a National President the chapters in the south would have a hard time welcoming me. Our charter was threatened several times but we stood our ground and our charter still stands strong on campus today.

DaffyKD

I'm so happy to hear that your chapter sisters stood their ground and that your chapter survived. I'm a minority as well, and pledged in the early 2000s, so I had a very different experience, but my collegiate sorority experience may not have been as great as it was if chapters like yours and many across the nation hadn't paved the way and stood their ground on this. I am very grateful for that.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by sorority_woman

Thank you for sharing your experience. I, too, am thankful that we have come as far as we have, even though there is still more to go.

This struggle affected every organization and everywhere across the country, just as the broader struggle of civil rights every person across the country. I'm a Tufts alumna, so I came across it as I was looking into sorority histories at Tufts. I had heard that Tufts had had Sigma Kappa and Alpha Xi Delta chapters at one point, which is how I found the articles.

Through further research I found that Sigma Kappa has been cited as the first NPC to pledge a non-caucasian woman, in 1956 at Cornell. So that seems like it could have been the match that lit this fire. Or maybe both chapters were thinking the same thing at around the same time.

I'm so happy to hear that your chapter sisters stood their ground and that your chapter survived. I'm a minority as well, and pledged in the early 2000s, so I had a very different experience, but my collegiate sorority experience may not have been as great as it was if chapters like yours and many across the nation hadn't paved the way and stood their ground on this. I am very grateful for that.

Out of curiosity, does NPC consider Japanese-American women students non-caucasian? I am aware of at least one NPC group that pledged and initiated (probably American-born) Japanese collegians earlier in the 1950's.

It would also seem to me likely that in the 1940's after WWII Asian-American women were more positively accepted by a few NPC groups, although not Down South but perhaps more likely in Midwest or West Coast chapters.

[d59u]

Don't know about sororities. It is true that from almost the beginning a fraternity chapter from time to time might pledge a "non-white" but it was so rare that it was almost a novelty. No one reacted. Remember, this was a time in which most groups did not even accept a Jew!

After World War II students began questioning the non-inclusive policies, and at more liberal institutions they determined to defy the national regulations. Rather than quietly do it, as in the past, they did it very openly and challenged the powers to accept it. In DU a chapter not only pledged & initiated an African-American (there never was a written discriminatory clause) but made him their chapter representative at the forthcoming national convention. Since the fraternity was making a concerted effort to expand into the south, this so perplexed the national officers that they actually cancelled the national convention to try to sort things out. As with most other groups, the subject was heatedly debated for many years before it was resolved.

[naraht]

For Alpha Phi Omega, I think the fact that at the time we were restricted to scouts, the fact that we *wanted* to be as international as the Boy Scouts*and* the fact that we aren't housed helped it go more quickly.

In 1946, the national convention minutes
"The motion plus the fact that the section be made a part of the national constitution. It shall be the policy of APO to include in its membership men of social fraternities and men of all races, creeds, and colors, being elecled by respective chapters, etc." (was carried 79 to 5)

And given that this discussion included the statement from a brother from University of North Texas that this included that if a colored brother were to visit the chapter, it was up to the chapter being visited to find him a date, they were definitely including negros.

The first negro brother that I can find was one of the charterers at Oregon State in June of 1946. The first charter to a negro school was in 1947 (Johnson C. Smith U.) and in 1950 the first charter was granted in the Philippines.

[naraht]

Originally Posted by d59u

Don't know about sororities. It is true that from almost the beginning a fraternity chapter from time to time might pledge a "non-white" but it was so rare that it was almost a novelty. No one reacted. Remember, this was a time in which most groups did not even accept a Jew!

After World War II students began questioning the non-inclusive policies, and at more liberal institutions they determined to defy the national regulations. Rather than quietly do it, as in the past, they did it very openly and challenged the powers to accept it. In DU a chapter not only pledged & initiated an African-American (there never was a written discriminatory clause) but made him their chapter representative at the forthcoming national convention. Since the fraternity was making a concerted effort to expand into the south, this so perplexed the national officers that they actually cancelled the national convention to try to sort things out. As with most other groups, the subject was heatedly debated for many years before it was resolved.

Brown University, http://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/c.../view/2981/40/

Dartmouth and Bowdoin were also in the mix not long after.
http://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/a...s/house-united

The relationship with this brother as of 2006 can be seen at https://issuu.com/deltaupsilon/docs/...ywinter2006/12