Distressed by the recent hazing death of Florida A&M University band student Robert Champion Jr., a coalition of black fraternities and sororities have teamed with civil rights leader Al Sharpton and others in pledging to work harder to end the practice
Leaders of the coalition told reporters Thursday that the type of hazing to which the Florida A&M drum major was subjected before he died has been depicted as a rite of passage despite the various efforts their individual groups have taken in the past to address the problem.
“We no longer can treat it as a series of isolated and unrelated sets of unfortunate incidences,” said Jimmy Hammock, president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., which heads up the coalition.
“It’s almost as if someone has tattooed in their brain this is the way to be accepted,” said Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who said her anti-hazing efforts earned her the nickname “Haze Buster” when she served as a regional director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., of which she also is a member.
The coalition has invested an initial $25,000 to launch a national campaign that will include radio ads on ESPN, print advertising, an Aug. 11 town hall on hazing at the Marriott Executive Center in Charlotte, N.C., and a National Anti-Hazing Day on Sept. 6.
Champion, 26, died in November after collapsing aboard a bus with other band members after a football game. An autopsy showed he died of internal injuries from a beating that authorities say was a result of hazing.
Eleven band members have been charged with felony hazing and two are charged with misdemeanors. Florida A&M’s band has been suspended indefinitely, and Florida university system officials are still looking into whether school officials ignored past warnings about hazing.
Under a bill Wilson is drafting, students would permanently lose eligibility for financial aid if they are convicted of hazing under state law, or are officially sanctioned by a college or university for hazing. The bill also would require states to enact felony criminal hazing statutes or lose transportation funding.
The coalition’s campaign clearly hits themes intended to resonate with young black people. Print advertisements will feature black-and-white photos of athletes from years past, standing with trophies, in line or in a locker room with blood that appears to have been spattered on the lens of the camera when the photos were shot.
“Let’s Not Beat the Life Out of a Beautiful Legacy,” say the ads, some which include black student athletes.
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article courtesy of Eurweb.com
