Forum considers black community
Tyler Gillespie
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News
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Negative stereotypes and social stigmas surrounding the black community were discussed by a panel in an open forum titled "Is Black Really Golden" on Tuesday in the Key West Ballroom of the Student Union.
This year's Black History Month theme has been "Black is Golden," and the evening's forum aimed to explore the meaning of the statement.
"Being black is golden - it's priceless," said Latoya James, 22, Black History Month chairwoman and event orator. "It is culture and everything our people have gone through. We are great."
The night was designed to have an open conversation regarding the behavior of the black community.
Men and women from various National Pan-Hellenic sororities, fraternities and other organizations formed the panel. The discussion was presented by the sisters of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., along with members from the African American Student Union and the Multicultural Student
Center.
The night began with the idea of race being presented as a man-made social construct. The panel approached the subject by determining that the term "black" was created to separate and divide.
An emphasis was placed on the proposal that culture has no race and that various dark-complexioned subcultures need to be more unified.
"The term 'black' was created to group people," said panelist Renea Forde, 21, vice president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. "We need to embrace individuality while maintaining a whole."
Talk turned to the heated subject of acceptance of offensive terminology and jargon within today's society. The two words most debated were a derogatory term for women and a racial slur aimed at blacks.
"It [n-----] is a word based on hate," Forde said. "Just because it is said without a negative connotation doesn't erase history."
The audience's main concern was that such a word takes away a person's individuality and is a sign of disrespect.
"Other people hear the word and consider us to be disrespecting each other," Forde said. "Then they think, 'If they don't respect themselves, why should we respect them?'"
This year's Black History Month theme has been "Black is Golden," and the evening's forum aimed to explore the meaning of the statement.
"Being black is golden - it's priceless," said Latoya James, 22, Black History Month chairwoman and event orator. "It is culture and everything our people have gone through. We are great."
The night was designed to have an open conversation regarding the behavior of the black community.
Men and women from various National Pan-Hellenic sororities, fraternities and other organizations formed the panel. The discussion was presented by the sisters of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., along with members from the African American Student Union and the Multicultural Student
Center.
The night began with the idea of race being presented as a man-made social construct. The panel approached the subject by determining that the term "black" was created to separate and divide.
An emphasis was placed on the proposal that culture has no race and that various dark-complexioned subcultures need to be more unified.
"The term 'black' was created to group people," said panelist Renea Forde, 21, vice president of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. "We need to embrace individuality while maintaining a whole."
Talk turned to the heated subject of acceptance of offensive terminology and jargon within today's society. The two words most debated were a derogatory term for women and a racial slur aimed at blacks.
"It [n-----] is a word based on hate," Forde said. "Just because it is said without a negative connotation doesn't erase history."
The audience's main concern was that such a word takes away a person's individuality and is a sign of disrespect.
"Other people hear the word and consider us to be disrespecting each other," Forde said. "Then they think, 'If they don't respect themselves, why should we respect them?'"