OU SAE Frat Boys – Who Raised You?
By now, I’m sure most of you have heard or seen the disturbing racist video that was recorded on a Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity party bus at the University of Oklahoma. If you haven’t seen the video, the group of fraternity brothers is singing (be prepared to be shocked), the following lyrics:
“There will never be a n***** in SAE.
There will never be a n***** in SAE.
You can hang him from a tree, but he can never sign with me
There will never be a ni**** in SAE.
This is so disturbing, I don’t know where to begin. I can’t stop thinking about it.
First, that a group of young people – college students(!) – would in any way think this way, and then act on it is beyond comprehension. And why did no one stand up and say, “This is wrong!”? From the video, it appears that most of the students on the bus are participating. I was taught to stand up and speak up against this kind of ignorance.
And, even more disturbing, I have to think that these young people grew up in households where racism was okay, or at the very least, tolerated. The irony that educated young people are participating in such shocking racism right at the 50-year anniversary of the march on Selma is a wake-up call to all of us. We, as parents, need to be doing a better job of teaching our children to understand and accept all kinds of differences in people.
My son has a degree from OU and I have a master’s degree from OU. Right now, I’m embarrassed and ashamed that the SAE fraternity’s behavior is staining the reputation of the university. I’m glad the national fraternity made the quick decision to close the OU chapter.
There are no words to express how I felt watching this video. At first, I thought it must be some kind of sick joke. It just shows how far we still have to go in overcoming racist ignorance.
Don’t we teach our children to stand up to bullies? Silence in the face of racism is just as wrong as those who are actively participating.
What do you think the university should do about the students on this video?
