In Defense of Black Greeks

THE ongoing issue of whether Black Greek organizations have the right to exist and in what context they have the right to do so is moot. That they do exist is a reality. Perhaps, rather than trying to dismiss them from the sociopolitical atmosphere of Harvard University's campus, administrators, faculty and students should attempt to understand why they do exist.

We as Black Greeks feel that our organizations were all born for a common purpose: to further the cause and contribute to the struggle for Black equality; to spread brotherly and sisterly love; and to uplift our brothers and sisters not as fortunate as ourselves. We have succeeded in all of these respects for many years. If it were not for Black Greek organizations, much that has needed to be done in our Black communities would have gone undone. However, the fact that we do not glorify and laud our own accomplishments has hurt us. The fact that we do not speak regularly about the local, national and international public service projects in which we participate is misinterpreted as us not performing those tasks at all.

The Black Greek organizations represented on Harvard's campus do more community service than many national organizations. From the Margaret Fuller House in Cambridge to Freedom House in Dorchester; from the Boston Food Bank to recreation centers; from academic support to financial support; we have provided a way out and a new light for literally thousands of Boston area residents. The Theta Iota Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was cited as being the chapter of the year for their community service efforts which included a mentoring program at Cambridge Rindge and Latin. Our commitment does not end there. Black Greeks are also known for their involvement in campus politics and activities. Members of Black fraternities and sororities include the president of the Freshman Black Table, the organizer of the intercollegiate ethnic conference earlier this year, the director of the Afro-American cultural center, and others who have devoted extensive amounts of time to the programs of Phillips Brooks House.

In addition to maintaining their rigorous schedules, many of the Black Greeks on Harvard's campus are mastering their academics. This is reflected in the fact that, this year, every graduating member of a Black Greek organization on Harvard's campus has earned honors that range from CLGS to Summa Cum Laude.

WE are the "political movers and shakers" that Professor Kilson talks about. The fact that Professor Kilson does not recognize this fact exposes his ignorance of the subject. The moving and shaking does not stop after college either. It is ironic that Professor Kilson makes reference to the esteemed Reverend Jesse. L. Jackson, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., in his tirade against Black Greeks. His presence in the American political sphere is echoed by the staggering number of Blacks in prominent positions who are affiliated with Black Greek organizations.

Professor Kilson's commentary, it seems, is full of an unjustified, outspoken ignorance which plagues Harvard University and the academic community in general. Often those who have developed an expertise in one area feel justified in extending their commentaries beyond that which they can factually support. Though commenting on our values and beliefs, he has never asked us about our family backgrounds, be they bourgeois or not. And, more important, those things are irrelevant. Bourgeois aspirations are not a factor in Black Greek affiliation. However, a major factor in the resurgence of Black Greeks at Harvard is the failure of the administration to sincerely and effectively support the Black students enrolled here.

Additionally, as time passes on, the optimism of Black students during the late 1970s and early 1980s is being replaced by the realization that racism is alive and seething in the hearts and minds of the American populace. This awakening comes from the stark realities of being Black in America. It comes from being called nigger in the classroom and the boardroom rather than just in railroad stations and at bus stops. It is the realization that a middle-class or upper-class or educated Black is still, in the eyes of white America, just Black. A Harvard degree does not take away your color.

FACED with these truths, driven home by recent events on college campuses all over the nation, including those of the "white liberal North," does it not make sense to join hands with the people with whom you can make constructive gains in the system, if not change the system all together? Does it not make sense that educated Black college students uplift their brothers and sisters while at the same time supporting each other in this hostile racial climate? It makes perfect sense. It's called survival.

Completely absorbed in the struggle for survival, Black Greeks have no time to merely write books about the "myriad of social pathologies" plaguing the Black community, including teen pregnancy, drug abuse and illiteracy. We take an active stance. We get things done. And though we are open to those seeking information, we have adopted a policy similar to that of the Harvard academic community: the knowledge is here for your consumption, but we will not spoon-feed it to you. Spending our time proselytizing would mean one less Black child that we got off the streets and into a tutoring program: one less donation for our annual scholarship; one less thing we could do for our community. It is not that we have anything against intellectualizing the problems of today, as Professor Kilson has done for many years. But words on a page do no good if, as the professor stated, Black students cannot read them.

The illiteracy that limits the lives of these children can be remedied. However, Harvard suffers from a blindness so deeply rooted that it seems irreversible. The best efforts of Black Greeks have been met with blind rejection. It seems to make no difference what Black Greeks say or do, for without seeking the light of information, this administration prejudges and condemns us. We have had little opportunity to counter the negative perception of Black Greeks because we cannot share our many activities with the Harvard community. We are unable to publicize the many lecture series. forums and community service projects in which we participate.

IN spite of our mistreatment, the Black Greeks at Harvard have flourished without official recognition of this campus. We will continue to do so. It saddens us, however, that the obviously biased and often false statements made by some members of the Harvard administration and faculty continue to circulate, clouding the vision of other administrators and creating a veil of prejudice through which the student population must view us. It seems pitiful that in one of the world's most "enlightened" institutions, the administration sees fit to malign and degrade people in a manner more suitable to the Dark Ages. However, as organizations devoting their time, energy and money to help others, the position of the Harvard administration concerns us little. Considering that this is an institution that barred admission to Blacks for hundreds of years, has shown only a cosmetic interest in community service and demonstrates a constant lack of concern for the Black community both here and beyond the confines of Johnston Gate, a pat on the back from the administration may be the last thing we need. The Members of:   Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.   Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.   Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.   Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.