I depledged my sorority at the end of Summer term 1993. Although there a few other motivational forces, the reason I ended my membership was that as a woman of color I felt very uncomfortable in Dartmouth's mainstream sorority system. I do not speak for all women of color, I speak only for myself and about what I see as some of the main reasons for the lack of women of color in Dartmouth's mainstream sororities.
Having been one of the few women of color in this system, I feel I can share my experience. Too often I have heard that women of color are reverse discriminating against the mainstream sorority system ' not joining because of stereotypes and assumptions they hold; when in actuality, I do not believe there is a place for most women of color in this sorority system.
As a pledge, my involvement with my house and the system in general, was very shallow. Even when I became a sister, this involvement did not increase or deepen. It was only during the summer, when I lived in my house as an officer for my sorority, that I began to perceive the subtle discrimination that comes from both a lack of sensitivity and a lack of understanding of someone that is different.
As a Native American woman, hearing my sisters say "Indian giver" or "There are too many chiefs and not enough Indians in this house" were not phrases that I could simply ignore or not let affect me. When we sponsored a programming event asking women of color to come and join us for dinner, I never expected my sisters to ask if they "Could come to an AAm meeting so they would know what it's like to be a minority" or ask questions such as "Since you're black, what was it like to grow up in the South?"
At a discussion about racial tension at Dartmouth with my house and a fraternity, it was my sisters that labeled me as hyper-sensitive, a defeatist and irrational. I thought my right to my opinion would be respected even if not agreed with, yet, I was basically denied my beliefs, because others thought they were wrong. And I felt personally under attack and alone in a house I thought supported me as a sister.
I understand that most of these comments and questions came from an ignorance about women of color, by people that may or may not have ever encountered anyone of a different race or culture. I feel however, that this excuse does not justify such a lack of human sensitivity and believe that I should not have had to hear those comments or have been expected to educate 120 women about my people and culture, or be told that I was giving up if I didn't. I did not belong in my house, and from talking with other women of color in my house and other sororities, I now know that I was not alone in detecting the subtle, and not so subtle, discrimination.
I don't know the solution to this problem, but I know a starting point is creating a space for women of color by acknowledging their differences and being sensitive to their needs. It should not always take a woman of color to plan an event about her culture; her sisters also should reach out to the many diverse groups and programs about issues of color place every term. Even just thinking before speaking, can help avoid insensitive comments.
I realize that individuals joining a sorority brings uniqueness to the house, and that this will be imparted through the various experiences the women share. But without accepting difference and acknowledging ttat many women of color have different needs and concerns, there will be no increase in the number of women of color joining and remaining in the mainstream sorority system.
