Unfortunately, these kinds of events keep cropping up at institutions of higher learning.
Earlier this year, the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Arizona State University found a different way to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They hosted an "MLK Black Party," where attendees were clad in basketball jerseys, sagging jeans, caps, sunglasses and held drinks in watermelon cups — playing not only on "thug" tropes but also the racial stereotypes about food. The chapter was eventually expelled from the university.
In July 2013 two Greek organizations at Dartmouth collaborated on a "Bloods vs. Crips" party, where some students carried around 40-ounce bottles of beer and malt liquor in brown paper bags. Around 200 students were in attendance; an email invitation had instructed them to "choose wisely" which gang they'd represent.
It may seem redundant, but "dressing up" as gang members and "thugs" is neither clever nor funny. These stereotypes are one of the many ways racism permeates our culture, with the end result being that black people are seen as inherently other — and lesser — than the white people masquerading as them. These types of parties expose the underlying issues that prop up racial biases, while also highlighting how far we need to go in terms of sensitivity and equality.
In a context where black people are routinely profiled or killed while unarmed, this incident shows that racial tensions still exist and implicit bias colors everyday interactions. Clearly, white students have the privilege of moving through the world not worrying whether their racial identity is a liability. "White Christmas," indeed.
Earlier this year, the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Arizona State University found a different way to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. They hosted an "MLK Black Party," where attendees were clad in basketball jerseys, sagging jeans, caps, sunglasses and held drinks in watermelon cups — playing not only on "thug" tropes but also the racial stereotypes about food. The chapter was eventually expelled from the university.
In July 2013 two Greek organizations at Dartmouth collaborated on a "Bloods vs. Crips" party, where some students carried around 40-ounce bottles of beer and malt liquor in brown paper bags. Around 200 students were in attendance; an email invitation had instructed them to "choose wisely" which gang they'd represent.
It may seem redundant, but "dressing up" as gang members and "thugs" is neither clever nor funny. These stereotypes are one of the many ways racism permeates our culture, with the end result being that black people are seen as inherently other — and lesser — than the white people masquerading as them. These types of parties expose the underlying issues that prop up racial biases, while also highlighting how far we need to go in terms of sensitivity and equality.
In a context where black people are routinely profiled or killed while unarmed, this incident shows that racial tensions still exist and implicit bias colors everyday interactions. Clearly, white students have the privilege of moving through the world not worrying whether their racial identity is a liability. "White Christmas," indeed.
