This year is already proving to be an important one in regard to race. The narrative this year has been one of simultaneous progression and regression. Around the time of the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, race is once again a prevalent topic in the news. While a number of media outlets have been celebrating the success of the film based on the Selma-to-Montgomery marches, a more recent news story shows we have not made as much progress as we thought.
Last week, the University of Oklahoma’s chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon was in the news after a video surfaced of fraternity members chanting racist remarks. The chants include racial slurs targeted at blacks and a promise that they will never be allowed to join the fraternity. The chants were recorded and posted to Twitter unbeknownst to those engaging in the chant.
Since then the members of the fraternity have been suspended from OU, the chapter has been shut down and the house that the fraternity occupied has been vandalized.
The president of OU, David Boren, has shamed the fraternity on multiple occasions and has requested that members of the fraternity leave the school. Students and teachers have protested outside the fraternity house since the video surfaced, and the national headquarters of SAE has revoked the chapter’s membership.
I am not surprised that a video like this exists in 2015. We are not nearly as far removed from the days of segregation as people like to think. The people who are surprised upon viewing the video are not realistic in their perception of race in America.
The aspect of this chant that seems to outrage most people appears to be the use of the N-word. This, however, is not my primary concern with it. My primary concern is the looks of glee on the faces of the people singing as they talk about hanging another human being. To cheer such an act of heinous violence with such pride and joy is truly sickening and bewildering. The song also encourages segregation by stating that a black person could never join the fraternity. Once again, we are not as far removed from the days of segregation as people think.
I applaud the SAE headquarters for disbanding the chapter.
I applaud David Boren for addressing the issue directly and for doing so with such professionalism. I applaud those who protested the fraternity and made the school take action.
The members who were leading the chant have been expelled and have since issued apologies. They blamed alcohol and expressed regret over their actions. One honestly has to question whether they are remorseful due to their actions or due to the fact that their actions were filmed.
Blaming alcohol is a bogus excuse. People who are drunk don’t suddenly become racist. People are held accountable for causing car accidents when they are inebriated; they should be held accountable for all their actions under the influence.
A number of conservative media outlets have come to the defense of the fraternity boys. They have blamed hip-hop music’s usage of the word as an influence on the boys. This is moronic. As a fan of hip-hop music I can assure you that no rapper in the history of music has ever made a song about gleefully lynching black people. Hip-hop music has nothing to do with this.
When videos like this exist, it is hard to believe that Selma was 50 years ago. It is true the U.S. is making strides to rectify its racist history, but it still has a long way to go.
The only way to make progress toward equality is to acknowledge that racism is still a problem. We are living in a less divided America than our parents were, and by acknowledging and addressing race, I hope our children will live in an America so intertwined that videos such as these no longer exist.
Emanuel Griffin is a UF journalism freshman. His column appears on Tuesdays.
[A version of this story ran on page 6 on 3/17/2015 under the headline “SAE shows segregation isn’t behind us”]
