White, black, Hispanic and so forth; we can’t refute or elude these classifications or labels. Understanding how we’ve each experienced being of different heritage or skin color is not an easy task. This fundamental incongruence causes miscommunication, over complication, intimidation and lack of collaboration. A divide. Between “us” and “them,” the initial, inescapable, linguistic segregation of people. My intention is not to place blame on individuals or institutions, but rather to encourage the recognition of personal responsibility in cross-cultural consideration. Broadening our perspectives, maximizing our empathy and expending effort to support one another is critical.
I’m white and grew up in a predominantly white community, but nevertheless have thought of myself as an inclusive person. This didn’t mean I had any inkling of the other perspective though, what it was like not being white, what their experiences were and how sharing those experiences brings them together. My little white bubble, that a couple weeks ago I hadn’t realized even existed, was popped.
Questions raised that blew my mind in multiple dimensions. Questions such as, “how would you feel if you walked into a room and were the only white person?” not only were genuinely difficult to accurately imagine, but the fact I had never asked myself these questions blew my mind. A mild feeling of self-disappointment crawled into my psyche, making me doubt the extent of my compassion.The issue of diversity on campus was immensely apparent when on Saturday, Sept. 21 I attended DU’s annual Stroll Off. This event was organized through the various “non-traditional” Greek fraternities and sororities in DU. These include a chapter of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) and various other international and culture based Greek incorporations.
All of DU’s Greek Life was invited, not excluding the 12 “traditional” Greek houses. Each was acknowledged in the opening formalities and after cheers and calls were heard for the attending “non-traditional” houses, the silence following the others was rather disconcerting. The entire DU community was encouraged to attend yet the composition of the audience lacked diversity, case and point being I was one of a half dozen white people.
Perhaps you weren’t aware of the event or maybe, like me, you didn’t even know what “strolling” was. For those of you still wondering, strolling is a form of dance that was developed by the NPC, otherwise known as the Divine Nine. It has become an integral part of “non-traditional” Greek life identity and tradition and is upheld through these events that enable each house to exhibit their unique skill and enthusiasm.
Another similar and recent event was the “Step Show.” This was a competition that took place the following week in the Hamilton Gymnasium. Several “non-traditional” sororities and fraternities, students of DU and beyond, both current and of quite some time ago, participated. The audience of a few hundred was entertained by not only amazing performances, but also a great comedian host and surprise giveaways.
Stepping is another form of traditional dance that incorporates coordinated movements and stomping, scripted skits, the art of cane twirling, cheers, hand signs and a multitude of other creative art forms. Having never seen stepping, I was thoroughly entertained and overly impressed. I was thrilled to be there supporting my friends in Kappa Alpha Psi, but rather disheartened by the undeniable fact that I was one of three white people in my entire row … and I had come with the other two. This was immensely disturbing and frustrating to me and undoubtedly to those whom this event was important to. Why the divide? Why is it that I knew really nothing of the culture of these members of my community?
We live side by side, but pay no heed to the unique backgrounds and differences of one another. Blame for this cannot only be put on white people or solely “traditional” Greek life, and that is not my intention. This is a two-way street for sure. We all self-segregate. And when this is done seemingly based on race, it can be somewhat harder to comprehend and more intimidating from an outsider’s perspective. But we all do. Why? I have a vegan club because I’m vegan and I want to have a network of people that can understand my struggles and frustrations, have a like mind of values and that can be supportive.
This is the central reason for organizations such as the Black Student Alliance (BSA), the Asian Student Alliance and all of the “non-traditional” Greek. They were brought together due to their common history and experiences, for the purpose of providing empathy and support. On their website, BSA demonstrates this by stating that they are, “humbled to be a part of a family of student organizations that endured innumerable obstacles and prejudices in the pursuit of justice and equality for our people.”
Though this may seem to promote the lack of collaboration, these student organizations are as inclusive as any other. When speaking with the President of BSA, Cameron Simmons, who is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi, he said that he encourages non-black students to be involved in BSA, would love to have a white brother in his fraternity and would be incredibly impressed if a “traditional” Greek house learned to stroll.
This huge divide is solved through conversation and exposure. It is a matter of the individual. The individual responsibility to one’s own community and to one’s consideration and awareness of others. Bringing more collaboration among all members of our DU campus is about cultivating an understanding and mindfulness of one another and compassion for all. From conversation to conversation we’ll take “steps” forward.
