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Sutton Sports Performance Center Catches Fire At Wake Forest University

RJKarl said:
Some people didn't like the fact that I had friends that weren't white and that I was Jewish. I wasn't the only person who was treated like this. To try to minimize it shows a glaring lack of candor on your part.

I knew many black student who wouldn't walk by your house due to the sneers and abuse. Some would rather go out of their way to go through Reynolda Hall than the shorter path by your house and up the steps to The Quad.

Students at Wake at that time understood who the KAs were. I understand forty plus years on you want to minimalize or make excuses for it. But whitewashing what was common knowledge doesn't change it.

It's good that you are embarrassed by it, but denying this was real doesn't help anything.
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I am not embarrassed by our behavior. I am sorry about it.

I fully agree that there were some people uncomfortable walking by the KA house. That makes sense given our confederate reputation and is unfortunate, but I don’t know of a single incident with a black person walking by the fraternity. Could it have happened? I doubt it. Not when I was there. It would be a really stupid thing to do. We were always under the watchful eye of the administration next door. If it ever happened we would have been closed down for good. And no one I knew had that kind of hate in them.

I do remember girls hated to walk to the post office because they had to walk by a fraternity or two who would rate them as they walked by them. Was that OK?
 
RiskyBusiness said:
Clearly you and I will disagree on this entire subject and that is ok. You have heard a different point of view. You can understand it or dismiss it. That is your choice and I respect that.
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Oh I understand it.

Viewpoints that defend or excuse racism aren’t ok. They are wrong. Some issues allow for differences in opinion, this isn’t one of them.
 
RiskyBusiness said:
I am not embarrassed by our behavior. I am sorry about it.

I fully agree that there were some people uncomfortable walking by the KA house. That makes sense given our confederate reputation and is unfortunate, but I don’t know of a single incident with a black person walking by the fraternity. Could it have happened? I doubt it. Not when I was there. It would be a really stupid thing to do. We were always under the watchful eye of the administration next door. If it ever happened we would have been closed down for good. And no one I knew had that kind of hate in them.

I do remember girls hated to walk to the post office because they had to walk by a fraternity or two who would rate them as they walked by them. Was that OK?
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Just in case this was a serious question, No.
 
RiskyBusiness said:
I am not embarrassed by our behavior. I am sorry about it.

I fully agree that there were some people uncomfortable walking by the KA house. That makes sense given our confederate reputation and is unfortunate, but I don’t know of a single incident with a black person walking by the fraternity. Could it have happened? I doubt it. Not when I was there. It would be a really stupid thing to do. We were always under the watchful eye of the administration next door. If it ever happened we would have been closed down for good. And no one I knew had that kind of hate in them.

I do remember girls hated to walk to the post office because they had to walk by a fraternity or two who would rate them as they walked by them. Was that OK?
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No, and anyone who did such a thing 35 plus years ago should be outed and prevented from holding any position of responsibility!!
 
Some Wake Students Demand Resignation of Admissions Dean Because of 37-Year Old Photo

RChildress107 said:
Oh I understand it.

Viewpoints that defend or excuse racism aren’t ok. They are wrong. Some issues allow for differences in opinion, this isn’t one of them.
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Fair enough. My point would be that there was no intent to be racist. It was what it was. Can’t change that.

Most of the KAs I know are responsible folks who have diverse friends and support their communities.

You may have noticed that there was an award last year by the Deacon Club for the organization that gave the most money on the day of giving. Kappa Alpha was recognized during our last home football game for winning that award with more than $350,000.

Not saying that money makes everything right, just saying these guys now care more about things other than our own little group.

There also was a story in the Wake Forest magazine last fall about a KA who was shot, recovered and dedicated his life to helping underprivileged kids in Ghana. He received a lot of support and funding for this work from his fraternity brothers.

Anyway, I actually respect your honest feedback.

Go Deacs. I’m out on this topic.
 
RiskyBusiness said:
I am not embarrassed by our behavior. I am sorry about it.

I fully agree that there were some people uncomfortable walking by the KA house. That makes sense given our confederate reputation and is unfortunate, but I don’t know of a single incident with a black person walking by the fraternity. Could it have happened? I doubt it. Not when I was there. It would be a really stupid thing to do. We were always under the watchful eye of the administration next door. If it ever happened we would have been closed down for good. And no one I knew had that kind of hate in them.

I do remember girls hated to walk to the post office because they had to walk by a fraternity or two who would rate them as they walked by them. Was that OK?
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You're so right. I am just imagining all those things. The KAs would never act like that. By the way, the check is in the mail.

Hey, I was upset when some girls turned the tables and only gave me an 8.5...
 
RB’s recollection is probably a pretty good argument in favor of the position of students that are concerned about this photo. Institutional bias exists everywhere, and I think it’s perfectly fair to expect honest analysis of relics of a bygone age. An organization that traces its roots to the same fraternal organization as the KKK, still civil war cosplays as a formal, was founded at Wake by Thomas Dixon, was in trouble for blackface in the 21st century, and posed in front of a giant battle flag from a terrorist organization that waged war on the United States 130 years after that failed insurrection was probably a teensy bit racist in the 1970s. KAs were hella racist when all the slums on this board were at Wake, so pardon me if I don’t think RB is being honest in his recollection.
 
RJKarl said:
One of the BIGGEST traditions was RACISM and they embraced it wholeheartedly.

It's dishonest, but not surprising, that you try to downplay their white supremacist actions and beliefs.
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Who said I am downplaying it. The KA's were a deep South fraternity and it was back in the mid-70's at Wake. Most of us from the South still though we were going to win the War between the States, formerly known as the War of Northern Aggression.
 
ChrisL68 said:
Robert Byrd was IN the KKK and was given a pass based on his later actions in the life to the point where our nation's first black president gave a eulogy at his funeral. This just seems like an appeal for a pound of flesh.

P.S. I bet they refer to the Civil War as the "War of Northern Aggression" in the Nelms household. No wonder he like South Carolina so much.
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Didn't think we used names on the message boards?

I was actually born in Murfreesboro, TN, home to a lot of southern fighting in the Civil War and a lot of history. Those parts are absolutely steeped in southern traditions and going back to when I was there in the late 50's & early 60's, many had maids in their blue uniforms. From there we moved to Columbia, MO from 65-69 during the height of the race riots in many parts and you could not even tell anything was happening out there in the mid-west. Nobody knew any differences in color and nothing was segregated. Moved to Charlottesville, VA in 1969 for 8th grade and they has apparently had some very intense race riots there in 1968. I know nothing about them but I do know that Hurricane Camille struck the summer we moved there & devastated the area. UVA was also very bad in football & basketball for a very long time while we were there and it carried over when I came to Wake in 1974 except for a couple good finishes by Tacy in 1977 & 78.
 
RJKarl said:
To say she didn't know who the KAs were is totally unbelievable. To say she didn't know what she was doing is dishonest. She chose to be with racists, who were celebrating their racist past.
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That doesn’t seem to be a fair characterization of what she said.
 
The KAs at Emory had a replica civil war cannon, which they kept on their front lawn aimed at a black fraternity house across the street. This was as of 15 years ago at least.
 
Between Wake grads defending the confederate flag on this thread and those on the sports boards advocating for hiring a top 5 worst dukie, truly we are in the age of the deplorables.
 
TheReff said:
Who said I am downplaying it. The KA's were a deep South fraternity and it was back in the mid-70's at Wake. Most of us from the South still though we were going to win the War between the States, formerly known as the War of Northern Aggression.
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Sounds like you guys were pretty dumb in the 70s
 
It seems to me a reflexive reaction to clamor for her firing because of her presence in that photo.

And equally so to quickly dismiss any concerns about it.

It seems an opportunity for communal reflection and dialogue.
 
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I don’t think many (if any) here have called for her firing or completely dismissed it. Most are trying to have dialogue about it.
 
RiskyBusiness essentially said it was ok and not a symbol of hate at Wake during his time there. I’m also assuming some of the tag fees are Wake grads.
 
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