Tensions boil over racist 'Compton Cookout' at UC San Diego
Back to Black
Reginald James
Issue date: 3/4/10 Last update: 3/14/10 at 1:40 PM PST
Section: OpEd
Racism is a toxin that has polluted this country for too long. One area that is most infected is education.
It was once illegal to teach an enslaved African how to read. Public education was created to educate the formerly enslaved, but segregation forced Black people into "separate and unequal" schools until the mid-20th century. To maintain that order, Blacks were regularly lynched.
The vestiges of institutionalized racism in higher education continue. And today, they aren't any more apparent than at the University of California--San Diego.
The campus has the lowest percentage (1.3%) of African American enrollment in the nine campus UC system, and has a hostile atmosphere after a series of disgusting racist incidents.
Last month, a fraternity decided to have an off-campus party mocking Black History Month. The "Compton Cookout," promoted racial stereotypes and degraded Black women.
Female invitees were asked to be "ghetto chicks," meaning wearing gold teeth and cheap clothes, starting fights and having "short, nappy hair." They were also encouraged to use a "limited vocabulary."
Watermelon, chicken, malt liquor and a purple sugar-water potion called, "dat purple drank" was publicized. (Hot sauce not included)
Days later, a group of students on the campus' Student Run Television Program (SR-TV) spoke in support of the racist event referring to the members of the UCSD Black Student Union (BSU) who protested as "ungrateful niggers."
Then a female student left a noose hanging in the campus library. She was suspended after confessing, saying she "didn't think leaving a noose was an issue," according to a campus official.
Besides resorting to slave era stereotypes to degrade their classmates, these students likely thought it would be funny, a way to live out their ghetto fantasies.
Hollywood films have long reinforced such plantation-era images of Blacks as watermelon-eating, chicken stealing, ignorant coons.
It was once illegal to teach an enslaved African how to read. Public education was created to educate the formerly enslaved, but segregation forced Black people into "separate and unequal" schools until the mid-20th century. To maintain that order, Blacks were regularly lynched.
The vestiges of institutionalized racism in higher education continue. And today, they aren't any more apparent than at the University of California--San Diego.
The campus has the lowest percentage (1.3%) of African American enrollment in the nine campus UC system, and has a hostile atmosphere after a series of disgusting racist incidents.
Last month, a fraternity decided to have an off-campus party mocking Black History Month. The "Compton Cookout," promoted racial stereotypes and degraded Black women.
Female invitees were asked to be "ghetto chicks," meaning wearing gold teeth and cheap clothes, starting fights and having "short, nappy hair." They were also encouraged to use a "limited vocabulary."
Watermelon, chicken, malt liquor and a purple sugar-water potion called, "dat purple drank" was publicized. (Hot sauce not included)
Days later, a group of students on the campus' Student Run Television Program (SR-TV) spoke in support of the racist event referring to the members of the UCSD Black Student Union (BSU) who protested as "ungrateful niggers."
Then a female student left a noose hanging in the campus library. She was suspended after confessing, saying she "didn't think leaving a noose was an issue," according to a campus official.
Besides resorting to slave era stereotypes to degrade their classmates, these students likely thought it would be funny, a way to live out their ghetto fantasies.
Hollywood films have long reinforced such plantation-era images of Blacks as watermelon-eating, chicken stealing, ignorant coons.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 4
McEnery
posted 3/04/10 @ 3:02 PM PST
White Students Being Set Up and Hustled Again??!
First the Compton Cookout is organized by a Black Comedian and Whites are Blamed! Now A Noose is planted in the Library by a Black Student and Whites are Blamed Again!
In addition, No Fraternity held the UCSD Compton Cookout party ? It was actually organized by a Black Comedian who calls himself ?Jiggaboo Jones? to launch a new DVD. (Continued…)
demetrie simmons
posted 3/04/10 @ 4:29 PM PST
This Afro-American crowd at UCSD is a pathetic group. What a bunch of losers. So anytime 1 or 2 individuals
takes some racially insensitive action white America
is held hostage. (Continued…)
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