Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Editor's Picks
Editor's PicksList

10 More Incidents of Racism in Sororities and Fraternities That Prove SAE Was Not An Isolated Event

Posted byBy Curtis Bunn | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

 

091313-national-Alpha-Gamma-Delta-alabama-sororityBlocked Initiation

Alpha Gamma Delta and Pi Beta Phi at the University of Alabama in 2013 blocked two African-American women who seemed to be perfect candidates from participating in the pledge process to join the sororities — in at least one case because some alumni members reportedly threatened to cut off funding if they accepted a Black pledge. Alabama Circuit Judge John England Jr., who is Black and sits on the school’s board of trustees, told USA Today that he expressed concerns to university president Judy Bonner and chancellor Robert Witt after learning that his step-granddaughter had been turned down by all 16 white sororities.

224b45b2d8c52e6a426ff672538c4658Mexican Disrespect

At Penn State in 2012, the above photo was leaked of the Chi Omega sorority sisters posing with sombreros, mustaches and ponchos, holding up cardboard signs with the messages: “Will mow lawn for weed + beer” and “I don’t cut grass, I smoke it.” The chapter was eventually disbanded by its national organization in early 2014.

Still independent.

We hope this story was worth your time. For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed Black-owned and independently run. We didn't get here by waiting on ad budgets that were never built to prioritize us. Our readers did that.

Corporate support for Black media has always been thin. Outlets like ours get roughly 1% of the $170 billion spent on U.S. advertising each year, and that margin is shrinking further as advertisers walk back the DEI-linked commitments they made in 2020. That's the backdrop. It's not why we're asking.

The wider picture isn't any steadier. Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under, it's rarely the ones built to center a Black perspective from the ground up that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top