White Sorority's Controversial Win in "Stepping" Competition Reversed
Debate is raging on college campuses and the Internet over a white sorority's victory in the traditionally black-dominated dance world of "stepping." But now the victory has been altered to include an additional 1st place (and black sorority) winner.
The controversy began last weekend when the all-white Zeta Tau Alpha team from the University of Arkansas (left) beat out five other sorority teams to win the Sprite Step Off competition.
Here is its performance:
show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC2Mv_EJud8
Here is the performance by the original second place team, the Alpha Kappa Alpha team from Indiana University:
show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1swlMFa3pvw
Although the crowd reacted positively to the white group during its performance, it was none-too-pleased when the final judging was announced:
show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o42CsR-K0Mo
For the past week people have been arguing back and forth about who should have won, and whether white people should compete in an African-inspired tradition in the first place.
"What has happened is black youth culture, what people would call hip hop, sort of made black culture accessible and appealing to all kinds of people," said Walter Kimbrough, president of historically black Philander Smith College in Little Rock, Ark., and an expert on black Greek life. "It really now has become an American experience."
But late last week sponsor Coca-Cola announced a "scoring discrepancy:"
After the National Finals Competition this past weekend in Atlanta wrapped, we got together to do our post-competition review and found a scoring discrepancy in the sorority results. After looking at it and looking at it AGAIN, we determined there isn’t a definitive resolution.
Sprite is all about preserving the honesty and integrity of this competition. Because the scoring discrepancy can’t be resolved and due to the really tight margin between the first and second place sorors, we feel that the only right thing to do is to name both Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Tau Chapter & Zeta Tau Alpha, Epsilon Chapter, co-first place winners of the Sprite Step Off.
Now each sorority will receive $100,000 in scholarships.
So while the scoring debate rages, another question remains -- should once ethnically exclusive stepping competitions be limited to black performers? Tell us what you think.
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It is shameful that people that work hard at something are not rewarded if it proves to be not PC to someone. These white girls worked hard to achieve and win that prize. It is wrong for Coke to change the vote or divide the award! I am tired of the double standard -- and for any african-american people out there that know deep down this is not right-- where is the pride to not want things given out of guilt or pity.
Obviously great achievements can be made in this country regardless of skin color or gender. It is time to stop the pity party!
I wonder? what was the racial makeup of the judges panel? I can't imagine that any of the judges at a stepping contest were anything but African American? Whatever their racial profile, the judges are the ones who made the decision. Ultimately, THEY are the ones who made the decision. Not Sprite, Not the kids , not the NAACP or the KKK.
Both teams got a scholarship. If it was racism someone would have to lose.
If you held a white Miss USA pageant today, the very notion would end up in court. IF the contest rules did not specify blacks , then there is no foul if a white group wins the contest. To adjust the scores and have two winners is inexcusable, and certainly not politically correct. My question is would you prohibit white people from participating in MLK day festivities and celebration? Would you not take "white dollars" for black college funds? Come on now. Does it hurt ethnic pride to have a group perform better than another group, IF they are white? If the celebration is in the dance and its history , then the contest should be judged by the dance and its history, and not the color of one's skin, but the content of their dance. It seems this argument has been made before, all be it in a different form.
Blacks scream and complain that Whites don't INCLUDE them, so Blacks feel left out of mainstream. Here, Blacks want to exclude Whites from "THEIR" Step-Dancing. And get all bent out of shape because a White Sorority performed THEIR Step Dance BETTER than the Blacks! Holy Moley, I guess racism is a two-way street. Alive and well. Sad.
We are so accustomed to things like this (being extra sensitive to a minority and less concerned about this who just happen to be part of the majority in whatever situation) that we sometimes just don't see it for what it is. So turn it around: if a black couple in pairs figure skating won gold at the Olympics and was openly and aggressively BOOED on the medal stand because they were black, and then sometime later the IOC said they decided to make the gold medal winners share the gold with a white/caucasian team (because after all skating is y'know, historically a white person's sport) then the nation and international community would find that an outrage. Same thing here.
Of course no corporation would ever do that as stated above as they would be faced with a vast condemnation by the public, and most of those that would be standing up for the black couple in the example above would be whites . Hopefully enough black Americans speak out on the situation in this event here. For to not speak up gives silent approval to racism .
I am concerned about Coca-Cola and will be writing them. The most appalling part of this is the booing when they won. That is just overt, unashamed racism and the kind that goes on in the US without much criticism or exposure as if it's okay one way, but not the other.
Remind me again why they weren't booing because the sloppy girls in the plastic trenchcoats sucked, and to hand them the prize in the first place was nothing but overt, unashamed racism ?
...should add figure skating historically Caucasian, and now Asian too. (A good point showing this type of racism does not exist there.)
I am appalled at the blatant anti-white racism displayed in this article. What poor sports !.. If they didnt want the white team to compete, they shouldnt have let them enter. Racism is Racism plain and simple. BUT whites have to accept it when it is directed at them. It's ok for black comedians to talk about whites as crackers and make jokes about their tight asses and make fun of their speech .. but NOT the other way around.. whites are in jeopardy of losing their income if they joke about blacks .. BET can you imagine if a tv network was built around White Entertainment??? Give me a Fing break. Miss America is interracial.. Miss Black America is not... Collegiate coaching associations are interracial ..but the BLack Coaches Association is not... and on and on and on... We need to realize that Racism is NOT just for White Folk.. Black Folk can be just as bad
Not just as bad, potentially worse... because many blacks who are racist cannot even notice and acknowledge their own racism because they've been fed the line all their lives that only white people can be racist (and yes even some courts have come out saying this crap).
Thus they have little initiative to change their attitudes. Perhaps getting rid of the laws making White Middle-Aged Males a second class citizen would be a good place to start. Perhaps we should start talking about removing things like affirmative action and 'diversity' initiatives that so many minority racists rely on for keeping themselves in work with their negative attitudes.