Lessons Learned from the UA Greek System Segregation Story

By Ariel Worthy

I must admit that when I decided to attend University of Alabama’s (insert the name of the panel discussion) I wasn’t too sure what to expect. I was hoping the discussion wouldn’t turn into a debate about whose race is right and whose is wrong.

The University of Alabama was caught with egg on its face when its student paper, The Crimson White, published a story about Greek segregation. UA’s Mallet Assembly organized a march to protest the segregation and the story quickly grabbed national attention. In response to the outcry, the sororities finally integrated and last month four black girls and two other minority girls accepted invitations (or bids) to join historically white sororities.

The Capstone Association of Black Journalists (UA’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists) recently hosted a panel discussing the role journalism played in integration. The panel included Catenya McHenry Ashford, who covered the march for Reuters.com, Jamon Smith, a reporter for Tuscaloosa News, Mazie Bryant, The Crimson White’s editor-in-chief and Stephen Dethrage, a reporter for AL.com.

Fortunately, this panel discussion did not turn into a great race debate, but instead offered lessons that I, a student journalist, found quite valuable.

Speak up!

The University has had its share of racist moments and black students and faculty have come out and complained about it, but this time it was white students who spoke out about it.

Smith laments the fact that for years complaints from minority students about segregation within the school’s Greek system were ignore and that change didn’t happen until white students began to speak out.

“Why is it when a white sorority came forward, things got done?” Smith asked.

Nonetheless, Smith is glad that change has come and hopes it’s here to stay. Smith hopes this year’s integration isn’t a temporary fix to get the media off the school’s back.

Bryant sees the story as a lesson in the importance of speaking up.

“Don’t be afraid to question things,” she said. “This story would not have come out if people weren’t willing to talk about it.”

Having a named source is what made this story different from the others. Having an anonymous source can sometimes make a story less credible, so having a girl willing to put her name out there gave the story life.

Be fair.

Bryant, who is a member of a historically white sorority,  was commended by the other panelists for removing herself from the story and letting the reporters take the lead. Her job was to be sure the paper was being fair.

“[The CW] had to make sure that everyone was given the opportunity to voice their opinion and defend themselves,” Bryant said.

Have a thick skin.

Regardless of how fair you are, however, when you speak up on an issue – especially one as touchy as race – you can expect backlash.

“We had a lot of offensive comments on AL.com,” Dethrage said.

Bryant received criticism as well.

Many alumni felt the story should be left alone. Dethrage explained how his father, who used to be in a fraternity, thought so.

“There is always going to be someone weighing on what you’re writing about.” Dethrage said.

That’s no reason to stop.

And that is the most important lesson I took away from this talk:  As a journalist you have to be willing to go there and when you do, don’t turn back. Keep moving forward.

Ariel Worthy, a Birmingham native, is a junior at the University of Alabama. When not in class writing, she can be found writing her own short stories, reading poetry, cooking, looking up natural hair blogs or watching The Big Bang Theory and Boardwalk Empire. Follow her on twitter @airreeulll.