Before the entire campus gets hysterical about “race parties” that allegedly took place over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, we should consider whether morons who honored the holiday with fried chicken and malt liquor should be allowed to overshadow those who celebrated it respectfully.
On Tuesday, The Post ran a front-page story about the second annual MLK Day Interfaith Service Project, through which students from a variety of religious groups collected food and delivered it to the needy. On the very next page, there was a letter from several Graduate Student Senate members denouncing students who celebrated MLK Day with racially-themed parties.
When I first heard about so-called “race parties” several years ago, I defended them as innocent fun. Sure, the parties revolved around stereotypes, though not necessarily bad ones — what’s so bad about eating fried chicken? Also, plenty of holidays are based on generalizations of a certain ethnic group. Not all Irish people enjoy chugging Guinness and getting outrageously drunk, but it certainly looks that way when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around. A few years ago, I would have told anyone who was offended by an MLK party to get a sense of humor.
But after actually attending one, I realized there was something distinctly unfunny about a bunch of white kids wearing do-rags and drinking 40s out of paper bags. I also didn’t like that some parties revolved around negative stereotypes of blacks as thugs, “hos” and criminals. I never went to another MLK party — or any race-themed get-together, for that matter.
Unfortunately, the party I attended paled in comparison to racially-themed parties on other campuses. Although the hosts usually insist they aren’t trying to be racist, party events suggest otherwise.
At Tartleton State University last year, partygoers caused an uproar when, according to Reason Magazine, they posted pictures of themselves “wearing Afro wigs and fake gold and silver teeth. One photo showed students mocking how African-Americans do step shows … In another picture, a student is dressed as Aunt Jemima and carries a gun.”
At the University of Connecticut, students hosted a get-together called “Bullets and Bubbly,” for which attendees painted their faces black and toted fake machine guns. Astonishingly, the hosts insisted to the Hartford Courant that the party wasn’t intended to be “mean spirited.”
There’s no doubt that these parties fall on a narrow spectrum, ranging from extremely tacky to overtly racist. The real question is what people who are appalled by “race parties” should do about them.
Attempting to punish the party hosts is a bad idea, as it will inevitably lead to a lot of whiny defensiveness and sympathy for the accused. Last year, Johns Hopkins University suspended a fraternity that hosted a “Halloween in the ’Hood” party, where attendees were dressed as “pimps, prostitutes — and slaves,” according to the Baltimore Sun. The student who posted the invitation (which allegedly included racial epithets) on Facebook.com quickly gained the status of a put-upon martyr, persecuted by the university for a party that was none of its business.
A better solution might be to boycott race-themed parties and keep students who celebrated the holiday constructively in the spotlight. Believe it or not, there are many examples of students who used their day off to honor Martin Luther King’s commitment to service. According to a press release from OU’s Center for Community Service last week, “At least 50 volunteers are expected to work on three projects Monday: helping repaint and restore the Athens County Children Services family visitation room; renovating the Smith Blair house at Amesville’s Foothills School of the Arts into a community center; or participating in the Student Coalition for Action and Literacy Education book drive to provide free books to local schools.”
Instead of passing a resolution to condemn students who held race parties — as the Graduate Student Senate says it will do — why not pass a resolution commending those who spent their day volunteering? It seems like they deserve a bit more attention.
I’m not suggesting that the remedy for racism is to ignore it. I’m glad “race parties” have gotten so much attention this week — perhaps it will let potential hosts know that their actions won’t go unnoticed. But maybe if the focus stays firmly on the students who spent MLK Day serving others, it will make the ones who spent it sitting on their butts, drinking 40s and trading racial jokes, realize that they’re the only people who deserve to be mocked.
Ashley Herzog is a senior journalism major. Send her an e-mail at ah103304@ohiou.edu.
Reader Comments
Well-reasoned thoughts, Ashley. I think it's about time we ditched the thugs-and-hoes, as well as the green plastic derbies.
Well done, Ashley! Incidentally, I've noticed no one has accused this columnist of race baiting. Gee, I wonder what differing factors could have motivated critics to pile on Alissa Griffith, and not her colleague?
EXCELLENT column!!!!
@kabrownrigg, notice Ashley's columns are not the flavor of the week for "things to get offended by."
Alissa's columns only serve to stir racial tension, therefore race baiting is appropriate.
To comment on Ashley's post...I agree, commend those who celebrate the holiday positively.
However, people are free to dress and eat what they like. Whether racially motivated or not. How is a mexican restaurant where they serve tacos and corona, wear sombreros, etc different from a party where people dress with baggy pants, eat fried chicken, and drink 40s? In one case you are celebrating a race and heritage where in the other case your are supposedly offending a race.
A student senate resolution will do zero, but they are encouraged to keep doing things that have absolutely no impact. Way to be guys!
Wow, kabrownrigg, you might be suited to take over Alissa's column when next year... WOW! I had no ideas criticizing a black person made someone a racist, but then again, the McDavis administration seemed to jump to the same conclusion last year when he was under fire.
I think if you notice (and I have to admit, I hate Herzog) Ashley handled her column much better than Alissa did. Herzog reported the issue and then offered an alternative, to instead focus on those doing good on MLK day, not those doing wrong. Alissa simply complained about it and made it a black/white issue as she always does.
I have to say, this may be the first column of Herzog's I can't overtly disagree with. Does a good job of reporting the issue and leaves the topic open for discussion and doesn't accuse anyone who has had a thought about one of these parties or attended one whether on MLK day or not of being a racist as Alissa likes to subtly do.
you're calmest column yet herzog.. but i love it. :-) i wish i was still there stirring up the apathetic minds of OU with you.
i'm sorry. "your". my bad.
Actually, I wasn't implying that a racist is anyone who criticizes someone of a different color. I was, however, saying that the comments many of the people posting seem prejudiced. And while prejudice is not a synonym for racism, it's scarcely any better.
And I think the point of both columns was the same: the racial party idea is indeed "mean-spirited" and -- through one means or another -- they should be stopped. And how on earth can a RACIAL party NOT be a "black/white issue," as you say?
Also, it's a tad easier to write about an issue without getting heated if you're not the person who's been injured by it. I know I have a hard time avoiding the use of stronger words and ideas when writing an issue that deeply affects me. The key to avoiding prejudice is to imagine yourself in someone else's skin and then ask yourself -- sincerely -- if you might have a different take on it, were you not the person you are. But empathy can be an elusive thing -- when backgrounds, beliefs and experiences can be so diverse.
I agree with the general sentiment of this article in that it emphasizes that great things happened on Martin Luther King Day that shouldn't be overshadowed by the actions of some students who acted in poor taste. Many great things happened and have happened to commemorate this day in years past.
I would like to say for the record as one of the authors of the GSS letter/resolution, that from my point of view, the point is not to overshadow the wonderful things being done by many people. The point is to in Ashley's words 'let potential hosts know that their actions won’t go unnoticed.'
More than this, the point is not to punish those participating in these blatant propagations of stereotypes in the strictest sense of the word. Our purpose was to show that we, a group of STUDENTS (not Admins), don't think it's a harmless joke. For those out there who don't think it's a big deal, or that only 'lame' people are offended by it, you are mistaken. Some of us students, with representation from many facets of the university, just want to emphasize that we don't agree with the negative practices shown on MLK day and that we don't think it fosters a healthy campus community.
Not everything a governing body does is about making a move (for those who think the GSS resolution will do 'zero'). Sometimes it's about making a stance so that people might think twice before putting on or participating in these types of events. College is America's rite of passage, and in making these statements I believe anyone paying attention will grown and learn how to be more sensitive in our incredibly diverse society.
Merrian Brooks, OMS-II
GSS Senator, College of Osteopathic Medicine
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