Stories like this just go to show you how much America hasn't changed over the years. A few nights ago, UCLA's Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority hosted a Kanye West-themed party entitled "Kanye Western" Tuesday night (Oct. 6), an event where partygoers attempted to dress like the MC and the people in his life. Several of the frat and sorority members were spotted stuffing their pants to make their butts appear larger while wearing charcoal on their face. According to several members of the Afrikan Student Union, once they confronted the partygoers they began to laugh in their face as the union asked them to write an apology.
At such a critical time in America, the members of the Afrikan Student Union decided to come together and bring attention to the racist incident. With #BlackBruinsMatter sprawled across their shirts and posters, the Black students of UCLA formed a protest yesterday on campus to address the issue head-on. "NOT ONLY did they blatantly display a disregard for the culture, representation and the opinions of Black Peoples by mocking us through costume, they also spewed HATE in the form of racial slurs, derogatory comments and great indifference to the faces of the Black Bruins that confronted them the night of the party," wrote one protester. "Yelling 20/20 (meaning emergency alert because evidence has been collected) when a member of our community began to take photos of the racist acts. This comes to no surprise, but does continue to epitomize the level of racism, white supremacy and cultural insensitivity that resides and is cultivated on this campus."
Sigma Phi Epsilon's national office released an official statement regarding the students involved, claiming they will "continue to work with the university and UCLA community to investigate these claims and hold students accountable for any inappropriate behavior." Both parties involved have had their social activities temporarily suspended.
We've since reached out to several UCLA students in order to find out what has happened as a result of the protest. Stay tuned for more.
Source: LA Times
