Campus Racism

January 26, 2007 by Marc Lamont Hill

love chicken.jpg
A few days ago, a group of white students at Tarleton State University in Texas decided to throw a party on Martin Luther King Day. To “honor” the occasion, wore Afro wigs and gang apparel, consumed malt liquor and fried chicken, and mocked Black Greek step shows. One student, pictured above, even dressed up as Aunt Jemimah and posed for pictures brandishing a gun.

To be certain, the students’ faux-MLK celebration was insensitive, irresponsible, and fundamentally racist. In addition to disgracing the memory of an American hero, these students created a hostile environment for other students on campus. (After all, how do you think a Black student at the school feels about sharing a campus with people who throw racist parties?) Furthermore, any student who participated in the night’s festivities should be sternly disciplined.

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. On the contrary, it is part of a broader underground network of racist rituals that operates on mainstream college campuses around the nation. Just last year, Texas A&M (notice a pattern here?) came under national scrutiny when its students held a “ghetto party” in which students engaged in similarly offensive acts. Unfortunately, the A&M dean’s tepid reprimand did little to discourage future such acts around the nation.
Despite what conservatives say, this is not merely a free speech issue. Instead, this is about whether or not universities are willing to allow its students to perform modern day minstrel shows.

If we are sincere about ensuring that universities become safe spaces for everyone, then the answer should be clear.

Categories: MLH
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9 Comments

1. omodiende wrote:

i have been waiting for quotes from days back.

January 26, 2007 @ 2:22 pm

2. naturalnubian wrote:

….ok, my previous post was a maaaaaad generalization. my bad. but I am still very irritated by this mess, and even more, how if the shoe was on the other foot (black students loosing their minds and having a kike & nazi party for example) this would be on every news channel, along with the school’s prez wouldn’t merely issue a pathetic statement.

January 26, 2007 @ 2:50 pm

3. DCI74 wrote:

*standing in my office and applauding naturalnubian’s comments

January 26, 2007 @ 2:51 pm

4. latisha wrote:

I so went to that University for two years before I transferred to an HBCU (Prairie View A&M University) and I am so glad that I did. Black students should attend Black universities and colleges, I am a firm believer in that. I will be going for my Masters at Texas Southern University this summer. My regrets for ever going to Tarleton State, I was just trying to get away from home…

January 26, 2007 @ 3:11 pm

5. Naomi Christine wrote:

great point DC

January 26, 2007 @ 4:13 pm

6. naturalnubian wrote:

DC174, glad to know I’m not alone on this.

And that is what bothers me most, I feel like I cannot trust any of them! How is that possible? It is like I don’t want to believe that ALL white people have completely lost their marbles, but I do wonder how a vast majority of them truly cannot relate AT ALL to any other race but their own?!

January 26, 2007 @ 4:29 pm

7. DCI74 wrote:

Why don’t they have theme parties around whiteness? Why no 80s rock/hair bands parties? It’s always so easy for them to entertain themselves at our expense and some, certainly not all, but some see absolutely no problem with their behavior. One of the black law students that spoke at the roundtable yesterday said something very profound: “There are incidents on campus and the party this week is part of that. That is the very problem, that they didn’t know it was a problem.” I’d take her statement one step further, some know it’s a problem and simply don’t care and are unapologetic about their actions.

January 26, 2007 @ 4:58 pm

8. ting wrote:

I see what you are saying, hence the reason I am addressing some of those specific characters in me dissertation research with pre-service elementary educators. What better way to start off then with the teachers who may be spreading this nonsense to their future students.

January 26, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

9. John wrote:

And that is what bothers me most, I feel like I cannot trust any of them!

That is exactly what many white people say when they see a news report about black crime.

These students don’t represent white America any more than a gangsta criminal represents black America.

January 27, 2007 @ 12:08 pm

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