Early September of 2018, Tyler Hillard, a student at UC Riverside, died during his pursuit of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Although there are no official connections between his collapsing and his pursuit, signs of hazing were definitely present. Check out the full story here!
After years of deaths and lawsuits hazing is still taking lives today. In fact, things may be worse today than they ever were. Today, not only are lives being taken, but mental health, sanity, peace is never regained after a process like Tyler's. An interviewee for this study admited that like our ancestors were afraid of the night time, I too was afraid of what nighttime and darkness would bring when I was pledging (Anonymous [2], 2018).
When BGLOs first began, slavery was abolished, but the remnants of such institution still lingered and led to the civil rights era. It makes sense why such tactics discussed were utilized. The tactics were simply re-enactments of the lives black people were living everyday. Pledging was truly a preperation for the outside world, because while "on-line" there were beatings, yelling, lining-up, linking up, and many other behavior, on the outside, the same thing could very well happen when they walked out of their doors. Today, those things simply do not apply in the ways it did then. Therefore, while we are trying to re-create the oppression we've always known, we are re-creating something we don't live, and these re-creations are what grows out of hand, and later leads to death. The success of black people has alwasy been attributed to the overcoming of a terrible tragedy, whether it be slavery, civil rights, or pledging. It's time our success be accredited to our natural abilities and intelligence; it starts with us.
BGLOs are viewed in such a negative light in today's world. Not only has sight of the purpose been lost, but the world no longer sees the value of the work that is done. BGLOs were created to uplift, support, and service the black community during a very crucial moment in history. While today, things may have progressed, there is still work to be done. The black identity is under attack constantly within America. We are still trying to find our place in the world, while still fighting injustices such as police brutality. While BGLOs provide a safe haven, a sense of belonging, and a home for black people, the negative perceptions of the organization further perpuate notions of black failure. We must change those perceptions, by changing our actions, by changing the conversation.
Suspending, fining, and banning chapters are some of today's reprecussions for participating in hazing. But what happens when only 40 chapters are left, or people stop joining? Nearly all of the interviewees in this study expressed concern for the future of BGLOs and fear that 50 years down the line, they will be no more. However, it is not just the members who need to inact change, it is the leaders too. While consequences are necessary, I believe education is even more essential to the BGLOs and the notion of hazing. It's time to ramp up the anti-hazing videos, open up the conversation, but also change the way we view and talk about hazing. It is also a give and take exchange. If national committees are going to take away certain aspects, they have to supplement that forbidden tradition with something black greeks can hold on to. Something that makes them feel like they are accomplished the same goals but with a path not so violent and horrid. In the same manner though, as said before, black greeks, and people in general, can not attribute their success to the overcoming of a tragedy, but to the abililties they were born with.