Earlier than y’all begin, let’s simply get these 5 factors about Divine 9 Greek hazing out of the best way actual fast. Only for housekeeping functions:
1. Violently hazing individuals to affix any group isn’t significant, productive, or essential to showcase the most effective of anybody concerned.
2. Hazing has been a cultural norm in varied establishments past Greek life for many years – marching bands, political circles, social golf equipment, gangs, and different varied tropes have carried out such to garner traction.
3. On American campuses, hazing incidents are extra prevalent and excellent by white fraternities, sororities, and comparable establishments than Black ones as a result of they suggest outnumber us.
4. Factors #2 and #3 doesn’t let the Divine 9 off the hook simply because “white individuals do it too” as a result of Level #1 nonetheless stays…and final time I checked: Black individuals ought to be leaders, not followers.
5. Not that it ought to matter (as a result of everybody ought to be capable to publicly condemn violence anyplace), however I’m a proud member of a Divine 9 fraternity – not a cult.
Talking for myself, the premature and mindless demise of Caleb Wilson, a 20-year-old junior at Southern College and A&M School, was devastating. For a younger Black man to be killed whereas pledging a Black Greek-letter group (BGLO) at an HBCU is a complete nightmare.
It has been embarrassing and infuriating to see the blended responses inside the Black Greek neighborhood concerning this. On-line deflection and/or the silencing of those that converse out in opposition to this tragedy resembles the identical type of habits of law enforcement officials when the subject of legislation enforcement brutality comes up.
Sure, “not all of us” do it – however when a few of us do, we should deal with it.
And once more, simply because white people have been doing it lengthy earlier than us doesn’t give us a move to copy such problematic habits. As a result of in America, it’s Black establishments (HBCUs, holidays, museums, applications, historic websites) which might be presently beneath assault proper now greater than ever.
Tragedies similar to what occurred in Baton Rouge serves as the proper lightning rod for President Donald Trump’s administration to justify additional eliminating our Divine 9 and HBCUs.
sadly, a lot of the public would most likely stand again and allow them to do it due to the shortage of outward advocacy from Black Greeks to fight such conduct in public. Now isn’t the time to show a blind eye or ignore our neighborhood’s legit outcry when an harmless life is taken away from us.
If we actually imagine Black Lives Matter, it begins in our personal yard. We ought to be demanding accountability and alter in relation to the mandatory safety of Black individuals – particularly our youth – in all issues that we signify.
Once I determined to be part of a BGLO, I selected to be part of a legacy of trailblazers, innovators, leaders, and changemakers – not a cult that cowardly hides when dangerous issues occur and hypocritically factors the finger elsewhere to deflect. Most of my expertise has thankfully been the previous and never the latter – which is why I implore different Black Greeks to step up, converse out, mobilize, and set the instance – relatively than the norm – in relation to combating hazing.
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Ernest Owens is an award-winning journalist and creator of “The Case for Cancel Tradition.” You may examine him out at ernestowens.com.