By Cassia Herron

A famous quote by self-educated, ex-slave Fredrick Douglas states, “There is no progress without struggle.” This statement was true during the 1800’s when people of African descent struggled to escape the holocaust of slavery and is relevant now in the 21st century. The brothers of Tau Kappa Epsilon did black folks a favor when they ignorantly depicted our men as merely pimps and hustlers as if our mothers never created a Nat Turner, Frederick Douglas, a Dr. W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Malcolm X, Dr. Maulana Karenga, Dr. Cornell West or a Dr. Ricky L. Jones. Our eyes are being pulled wide open and our vision has zoomed in to the very oppressive, hegemonic devices that continue to keep us down.

Thank you, brothers of TKE. Because of you, our campus community has directly seen the resentment of a Black SGA President and Executive Branch. Let’s be clear here. Carlton Brown is a Black man first. He just so happens to be our SGA President, making him not only a student leader, but a Black student leader.To suggest he consult the SGA Senate before he takes a stand on institutional racism when the SGA Senate is not even aware of its existence is an insult and a waste of our President’s time. The statement of the editorial staff of The Cardinal, “Whatever Brown may feel towards Dr. Gifford, his decision to call for her resignation was not one that the student body can stand behind,” further helps us to understand that the opinions of the Black student population of the university do not even matter to some as they (The Cardinal) seek to exclude us from the general student population.

Thank you brothers of TKE. Our ears and eyes have been filled with words from ignorant persons who suggest a Black man who naturally stands up and speaks out against racist domination and attitudes is not worthy to be called “Dr.,” a title respectfully deserving of Dr. Ricky Jones. Along with your actions and the willingness for a student at our university to suggest such a ridiculous statement further exposes the hostile environment from which we are attempting to learn. Thank you brothers of TKE. With our great Lord’s help, our University may finally begin to take proactive measures to ensure Black students’ safety and success. It is possible for us now to have a Vice-President of Student Affairs who can effectively deal with all student issues. We may finally have a position with the Vice-Provost for Diversity and Equality (a position created by Black student demands from the ’99 Porter incident) to have power to proactively make changes. We may begin having conversations about why all the custodians who take care of our campus are mostly minority and why their managers are not. The Mathematics Department might just get a Black professor or instructor. TKE, THANK YOU, you have given us these possibilities. As Malcolm X states, “I had learned that if you want something, you had better make some noise.” THANK YOU BROTHERS OF TAU KAPPA EPSILON! You have helped us understand that point.

Cassia Herron is a senior Liberal Studies major, SGA Diversity Director, and guest columnist for The Cardinal.