The Alabama Greek System and a Refusal to Come to Terms

To read James Baldwin and to not be angered, disgusted and overwhelmed with the brutality of history toward the African-American is practically impossible even if one were living in a vacuum. To read Baldwin -- with his power of prose and eloquence -- and even take a cursory glance at today's world is to be outraged.

Baldwin writes: "I don’t think that the Negro problem in America can be even discussed coherently without bearing in mind its context; its context being the history, traditions, customs, the moral assumptions and preoccupations of the country; in short, the general social fabric. Appearances to the contrary, no one in America escapes its effects and everyone in America bears some responsibility for it."

"In the context of the Negro problem neither whites nor blacks, for excellent reasons of their own, have the faintest desire to look back; but I think that the past is all that makes the present coherent, and further, that the past will remain horrible for exactly as long as we refuse to assess it honestly."

One of the great things about attending a university like Emerson is this process of engaging inequality both in programming and intellectually. That there exists the idea of an institutional ackowledgment that there is work to be done on social issues is extremely important. We will all meet or have met those individuals who profit either socially or economically from oppression in some form. I'd like to think that most universities are having discussions like we do in this class.

The University of Alabama Greek system took some heat last year for allowing several sorities to deny membership bids to women based on their race. The ensuing discussions from university leaders and students seemed to indicate that some change was taking place. Because, well, slavery only ended 140 years ago (but whatever, this is Alabama) and it seemed like there would be a modest resolution to encourage inclusiveness within fraternities and sororities on campus.

This week the student senate decided not to vote on this resolution because of what many are calling the influence of the Greek "machine" upon student government. In fact, 27 members of SGA voted yes to keep the bill from being voted on, 5 no, and 2 voted present.

To read these essays by Baldwin about institutional power and race and then look up and be literally gob-smacked with a massive example of how deep inequality still runs within this nation is kind of frightening. It just shows how much work needs to be done even on the institutional level. And if the bare bones of this story isn't enough to anger you, here is the Alabama bill encouraging inclusion in it's entirety:

"Whereas, Given the history of the University of Alabama in the Civil Rights Movement, it is imperative that the campus takes every necessary action to remove the stigma that currently surrounds this campus regarding its legacy of segregation.

Be it further resolved, The Senate supports the complete integration of all Greek letter fraternities and sororities at the University of Alabama, with respect to social diversity among its membership."

A modern student government couldn't even pass that!