"In terms of Blacks' attitudes toward whites,it's not resentment. It's resistance. We want tomaintain a cultural identity," Bosey says.
Black Americans, Bosey says, run the risk ofentirely losing touch with their heritage, andBlack frats are one way Black students try topreserve their identity. "The question really isnot whether to integrate, because you have tointegrate. The question is whether integrationinvolves assimilation," Bosey says.
"It's all about one word: brotherhood," saysIvy Webb, a student at MIT who first joined thepredominately white Zeta Psi and then switched tothe Black fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi.
"I made a rash decision [by joining Zeta Psi]and realized when the other fraternity memberswere preaching brotherhood, brotherhood,brotherhood, and I wasn't seeing any of it. I wasliving with some people who had never met a Blackbefore," Webb says.
"I can't really see anything positive comingout of Blacks joining white fraternities," Boseysays. "The result is usually assimilation into thewhite culture and to the whites in thefraternity."
Participants in the Black Greek system say theyview their membership as a way of reaffirmingtheir commitment to helping the Black community.
Easier to Relate
"By being in a Black fraternity, it's easierfor the members of the community to relate to you,if you are dealing with a primarily Blackcommunity," says Alan Williams. He says hisinterest in the fraternity stems from hisinvolvement with a youth group at home.
"It is not just a fraternity; it's a lifelongcommitment. As businessmen, there is a lot ofstress placed on setting role models, on loyalty,and on continuing the frat," says Schaeffer.
According to Cranston, "The focus in the whitefraternities is to stay for four years. With theBlack fraternities, the emphasis is on a lifetimecommitment." The fraternity also serves as anetwork for jobs, he says.
"By interacting with such dynamic people,"explained Fulton, "I will be able to be moresuccessful myself. That is why I decided topledge."