On Sunday March 7th, 2015, a video went viral in which alleged members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity at Oklahoma University could be heard singing a song whose racist lyrics sparked shock and controversy. Perhaps even more significant was that on this day, 50 years ago, the first of three extraordinary marches, concerning the votingrights of blacks (or lack thereof), took place in Selma, Alabama. An integral part of the Civil Rights movement and an even bigger part of American history, they were the physical manifestations of the frustration and pain long endured by people of color in America.
Go to the national fraternity's website and you'll find that a statement was issued the following day addressing the Oklahoma Kappa chapter's behavior. Decisive and swift, the national organization wasted no time in shutting down the chapter. Watch the news, read articles, or hop onto social media and the common consensus seems to be “NOT ON OUR CAMPUS", and that 'this is unacceptable'. But is it really? And what of the opinions of those choosing to remain silent?
This isn't the first, second, or even third encounter our nation has had with racism in the public eye. Yet each time the media appears boggled that such an event could occur. How can this be? Contrary to those who would say we live in a 'post-racial society' racism continues to find ways to rear its ugly head. In 2007 while on his radio talk show, Imus in the morning, Don Imus himself commented on the appearance of the predominantly black Rutgers women's basketball team. “That's some nappy-headed hos there" (mediamatters.org). Only six years later the cooking icon Paula Deen would find herself in trouble after reportedly having organized a plantation themed wedding; the black waiters were to be dressed as slaves. According to www.huffingtonpost.com “She explained she got the idea from a restaurant her husband and her had dined at." Unfortunately it doesn't stop there. Just this past year former L.A. Clippers owner, Donald Sterling, was banned from the league once a recording leaked and exposed racist remarks he made to his mistress. Blake Griffin, a star player on the team, commented on the feelings he had towards Sterling when he was drafted. “My first thought was, 'Wow this guy is really, really a racist … how is he an owner of an NBA team?" (www.foxsports.com).
On May 5, 1962 Malcolm X gave a speech in Los Angeles in which he said, “We have to go to the root, we have to go to the cause; dealing with the condition itself is not enough." Not only do I agree with this sentiment but I truly believe this is a problem that has plagued our nation since it first began. We have never truly dealt with the roots of racism. Rather, we react to its consequences. Say you have a cavity that is causing you pain, go to a dentist and he/she will tell you that the solution is to remove it. But imagine if instead the dentist simply prescribed you Vicodin. The pain would diminish yet the cavity would grow; rest assured pain would then be the least of your worries.
We as a nation have been prescribed pain killers for a cavity that sorely needs removed. Too many are content with knowing that Imus' show was canceled, that Paula Deen was let go from the Food Network, or that Donald Sterling lost ownership of his NBA team. This policy of public shaming does nothing to address the root cause of the problem. The real tragedy isn't that Don Imus said something hurtful while on the radio; it's that he has racist mentality and is back on the radio, doing the same exact show but on a different channel (Fox Business). I can guarantee that the only thing these people have learned is to be more careful about what you say and where you say it, when the real lesson should be something concerning race and equality. After all, were these words unsettling because they were said over the radio, or in private to a friend? Of course not! Said in a different context by a different person you might find that these same words would have not been as powerful. It's the thought behind words that often hurt the most.
I was disappointed (but not at all surprised) to discover that the SAE's nationals, along with Oklahoma University, made no indication of efforts to address the situation in a more constructive way. One of the core concepts of the fraternity is to better a man. How then, is SAE trying to better these men? The same can be said on the part of the university. These are the same lackluster 'solutions' that are offered up to a problem which continues to exist. These are the same lackluster 'solutions' that were used to deal with Donald Sterling, Don Imus and Paula Deen. Clearly, we need a more effective approach. I believe that it's a systemic issue. It starts with the wayswe are raised and continues through to the way in which we enter into the real world. Until we truthfully address the racist past, present and future, that our nation struggles with, then we will continue to see more of same in our and schools, in our government and in our media.
