Governor Wreck-It Ralph Northam has lots of company.
Blackface seems to have an irresistible pull, a Svengali-like
hold on a large number of White college students in sororities and fraternities
during Halloween or when they are pledging.
Submitted for your approval, 'cuz it sure was the Twilight Zone
for me.
Freshman
year of college in February (oh, yes. I will name the illustrious
institution), the then lauded Phila College of Pharmacy and Science (which has
been renamed and which I attended for two years then transferred the hell out
of), was having "Hell Week." "Hell Week" that curious cross
between "Survivor" and "The Apprentice" where students
endure all kinds of crap to be allowed into a life-long party? I don't know.
Never appealed to me. Anyhoo, Lincoln's birthday fell during "Hell
Week" that year. Well, honeeeeeeeeey, this is where it got weird.
In the
student cafeteria, all the Black students sat together always. It was
comforting because there were only 12 of us in the whole school. Well, for
"Hell Week" whoever was head of the frat on campus must have given
their desperate pledges a list of junk to do to pass, qualify, whatever they
call it to get in.
Apparently,
one task was to disrupt our table. Each of the 7 White guys pledging had to
come to our table with a mouth full of LICORICE COUGH DROPS, hand A BOX of them to each one of us, and to wish us a "Happy, Happy Lincoln's
Birthday! in an Amos-and-Andy style of speech while attempting to tap dance and
call us "Sir" or Ma'am."
I kid
you not.
We
laughed at first because it was ridiculous. Then we were dumbfounded. Then we
got pissed. By the time we'd gathered our wits and the 3rd guy thought he was
going to "perform", the Black males at our table threatened a beat
down if he did. He and the rest backed away.No. It wasn't Blackface but it wasn't
necessary either.
I
wonder to this day what those "boys" are doing. Probably section
chiefs in some gov't agency or CEOs of pharmaceutical companies.
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