On May 30th, the University of Washington is throwing a "Check Your Privilege Party" on campus. However, contrary to what most people think when looking at the title, this is not a Greek hosted event, but an event hosted by members of the UW community affected by recent Greek related issues. This party is actually an event to challenge privilege and to have people check their various forms of privilege. The goal is to hold a protest/rally on Greek Row to reclaim the area for the masses. The description of the event reads:
"To the Rebels & Rejects of Society:
Greek Row has been a place where too many of us have been shut out of for too long. We have been told we are too fat, too dark skinned, not able-bodied and don't fit the model.
The frats have repeatedly attacked us. Both physically and verbally, they have said black lives don't matter, they have raped us and then called us sluts & liars, they have trashed trans people making fun of them at fashion shows, they have physically attacked black women. They tell us it is not all- but it is too many. It is time they are held accountable for these actions.
On this night we will take over and claim space on Greek Row, we will give ourselves access to this space. On this night we will center black lives, queer lives and differently abled/ disabled lives, and we will check their privilege.
To make this space accessible as possible we ask that you are scent free"
Scrolling down the event page, you'll see the conflict with every post and comment. On the positive end, people are showing their support for this event and how important they think it is. While others are positing comments that make fun of event, they discredit the purpose and essentially deny any racial conflict that exists on campus. As a Greek Member and a person of color, I can not help but be torn about this issue and feel as though I have to pick a side.
The conflict surrounding this event completely defeats the purpose of promoting inclusiveness and acceptance. More importantly this a campus wide event for anyone who has felt marginalized in any way by the Greek Community, by size, skin color, sex, ability, or socioeconomic status. There is no denying the experiences of people on campus who have experienced marginalization, but there is one issue with this event. Will it cause change and actually promote the things it is proposed to? Yes and No.
It will bring light to issues that get swept under the rug as well as expressing the discontent of several students on campus surrounding the Greek community. This event will also raise the voices of students and make them feel like they are being heard and that their voices can make a change in their community. On the other hand, this event has made the Greek community feel as though they are under attack which has created conflict and members of the Greek community have voiced their frustration towards this event. Having Greek members feeling as though they are being attacked will only discourage support, which is what is needed to promote real change. The Greek community and the marginalized communities on campus need to work together to end the stereotypes of Greek members and promote acceptance of all backgrounds.
From my personal perspective, Greek members need to take events like these as opportunities to change the stigmas surrounding their culture and to be more open to the community to which they reside. We should know by now that small occurrences of discrimination that are publicized are not just what fuels the conversation. It is moments that go unreported, the silence of members when they see discrimination in front of their eyes, and using excuses to cover up discriminatory issues. For UW, I hope the conversation changes and the event is supported so that change can occur.
It is time for all of us to look at our privilege and how it affects the world around us.
