Special Topic: Why Is Racism Still An Issue?

Just a mere few days ago, a video surfaced of members of SAE, a fraternity at the University of Oklahoma, engaging in a chant. But this was not an uplifting chant, nor was it positive in any aspect. The video shows the members chanting racist slurs, further by saying these types of people would never be in the SAE house. The video is extremely deplorable, brutally racist and so bigoted that it would only be a matter of moments before it caught the attention of the internet.

And it caught on like a wildfire. The video went hugely viral, and news of the chant spread not only throughout Oklahoma but to a national scale. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram exploded with backlash of the reckless and cruel fraternity video. For those of you who have (somehow) not seen the video, here is is:

As soon as it exploded, actions were taken swiftly and harshly. The president of the university came out with a public speech condemning the fraternity and its action, saying this in no way reflects what OU stands for and their disgraceful actions would have consequences. The fraternity was completely disbanded and exiled from the campus, the house was dismembered. However, the attention has little but died down. There have been spots on national news, people across the nation are outraged and Oklahoma is in the crosshairs for peaceful protests because of its now perceived racist image.

But why is racism still in issue? Even in this day 2015, 40 years after that historical movement in Selma, Alabama we are accosted with stories about racist offenses. Is this simply internalized from our ancestors? Is there proper education provided in schools and universities about these negative comments, how they affect those they are aimed towards? Is it the media to blame, social media not excluded. No one is quite sure. In a world where we are all uniquely different and each and every one of us is (or should be) capable of success, why?

The fire started by this fraternities ludicrous actions may slowly abide, but it will never be forgotten. They have left another stain on Oklahoma's already tarnished reputation and it seems that we are caught up in a constant game of catch up. Until we, as a state, much more a nation, can truly end racism and live in a realm of equality, we must sleep in the bed we have made.

-Cameron