2 Storied Black Sororities—AKA and Delta—Won’t Let Their Members Protest While Wearing Greek Letters

[KamaAina]

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/12/aka_dst_members_can_t_wear_letters_at_protests.html

Collectively known as the Divine Nine, black fraternities and sororities have long been central to the African-American college experience—standing as vanguards of social justice, community service, black excellence and achievement.

So it has been surprising and, to many members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., disappointing that they’ve been forbidden by their respective organizations from wearing their Greek-letter paraphernalia while participating in protests that have been sparked around the country to voice anger and frustration at nonindictment decisions for former Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson and New York City police Officer Daniel Pantaleo....

The directives have come down as students at several black colleges, notably the Atlanta University Center—which includes Morehouse College, Spelman College and Clark Atlanta University—have become visibly active in speaking out against injustice in the Ferguson and New York City cases.

And given the histories of both sororities—and the legacies of such illustrious AKAs as C. Delores Tucker, Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King; as well as Fannie Lou Hamer, Myrlie Evers-Williams and Mary McLeod Bethune, all members of DST—some young activists have rejected their organizations’ national directives because they believe that the directives run, fundamentally, in opposition to the values upon which these sororities were built.

I am posting this as penance for jocularly suggesting to my AA friend who posted this to her FB that the fictitious "Beta Lambda Mu" would disagree. She replied "This subject is not available for humor." Thus endeth my clunky white attempt at solidarity.

[Blue_Tires]

1. I'm very surprised to read this

and I know first-hand just how image-conscious the black greek orgs are...

I can kinda-sorta understand their perspective since there is so much media attention (and there have been issues in the past of idiot wannabe posers wearing the letters and being jackasses in public), but a decree like this seems overboard...

[AverageJoe90]

2. That's kind of unfortunate, TBH.

"Greek" student organizations(well, especially fraternities) have gotten a bad rep as of late, and I feel this is a mistake, because this could have been a great opprotunity to show that yes, there are some good, and really good ones, out there.

[KamaAina]

3. Update: AKA walks it back

http://www.ebony.com/news-views/aka-changes-stance-on-protesting-404

Today, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated has revised their guidelines and changed their stance on wearing letters while protesting. In a letter to members, the sorority’s National President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson stated the following:

“We expect our members to be actively involved in solving the social justice issues raised by those cases. The immediate response throughout the country has been to protest, march, and/or rally. We strongly support and encourage our members’ peaceful and lawful participation in these activities and as such, we issued guidelines for participation in these events.

We do not want to be distracted from our mission of fighting for justice and equality for Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Dontre Hamilton, and the countless other young black men across the country victimized by a criminal justice system that places little value in their lives. However, it appears the request to refrain from wearing the sorority's letters has become a distraction and a distortion of the sorority's position on these issues that is diverting attention and effort away from the broader fight to secure social justice and reform.

We are therefore relaxing our original position on the wearing of Alpha Kappa Alpha paraphernalia and attire."

Kewl! I knew some AKAs back at the University of New Haven in the early '80s. They were at least as good at trifling with my affections as the white sorority girls, notably the XKPs.