A Kanye West-themed fraternity party at UCLA featuring students wearing blackface has sparked both an investigation from the Sigma Phi Epsilon’s national office and a campus protest by students.
On Thursday, hundreds of students held up signs stating “Our culture is not a costume” and “Black Bruins Matter” as they marched across the campus in Westwood, California, and crammed into Chancellor Gene Block’s office demanding a response from the university, reported the Los Angeles Times.
Kelsee Thomas, of the Afrikan Student Union, said fellow ASU members saw partygoers at Tuesday night’s “Kanye Western” bash hosted by Sigma Phi Epsilon and the Alpha Phi sorority wearing baggy clothes with plumped lips or with charcoal on their faces, according to the Daily Bruin.
Other female guests wore large fake butts and balanced water bottles to mimic Kim Kardashian‘s infamous Paper magazine photoshoot.
“It’s extremely disrespectful for any organization at all to think that this is possibly a good idea,” Thomas said.
Photos from the party popped up on Instagram and Twitter, sparking the hashtag #BlackBruinsMatter in an angry response.
“It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American, it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,” Jerry Kang, vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, said during Thursday’s protest.
UCLA is now investigating the matter, and the university said in a statement: “We are concerned about these allegations and earnestly working to gather information about what occurred, talking to all those involved. We do not yet have all the facts, the alleged behavior is inconsistent with good judgment as well as our principles of community.
“We remind students that while they are free to celebrate in ways that draw on popular culture, their specific choices can cause harm and pain to fellow members of their community. Put simply: Just because you can do something, does not mean you should,” the statement continued.
Activities for both Sigma Phi Epsilon and Alpha Phi have been suspended.
See video from KTLA and tweets about the party below.
https://twitter.com/Affinitylife/status/652227071972917248/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
UCLA sorority under fire for racist "Kanye Western" theme party: http://t.co/qXQjOYxEVv pic.twitter.com/hvkgkesY8m
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) October 8, 2015