Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century
Black Greek-letter Organizations in the Twenty-First Century

Author: Gregory S. Parks

Publisher: University Press of Kentucky

Published: 2008-06-13

Total Pages: 521

ISBN-13: 0813172950

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

During the twentieth century, black Greek-Letter organizations (BGLOs) united college students dedicated to excellence, fostered kinship, and uplifted African Americans. Members of these organizations include remarkable and influential individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr., Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, novelist Toni Morrison, and Wall Street pioneer Reginald F. Lewis. Despite the profound influence of these groups, many now question the continuing relevance of BGLOs, arguing that their golden age has passed. Partly because of their perceived link to hip-hop culture, black fraternities and sororities have been unfairly reduced to a media stereotype—a world of hazing without any real substance. The general public knows very little about BGLOs, and surprisingly the members themselves often do not have a thorough understanding of their history and culture or of the issues currently facing their organizations. To foster a greater engagement with the history and contributions of BGLOs, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century: Our Fight Has Just Begun brings together an impressive group of authors to explore the contributions and continuing possibilities of BGLOs and their members. Editor Gregory S. Parks and the contributing authors provide historical context for the development of BGLOs, exploring their service activities as well as their relationships with other prominent African American institutions. The book examines BGLOs' responses to a number of contemporary issues, including non-black membership, homosexuality within BGLOs, and the perception of BGLOs as educated gangs. As illustrated by the organized response of BGLO members to the racial injustice they observed in Jena, Louisiana, these organizations still have a vital mission. Both internally and externally, BGLOs struggle to forge a relevant identity for the new century. Internally, these groups wrestle with many issues, including hazing, homophobia, petty intergroup competition, and the difficulty of bridging the divide between college and alumni members. Externally, BGLOs face the challenge of rededicating themselves to their communities and leading an aggressive campaign against modern forms of racism, sexism, and other types of fear-driven behavior. By embracing the history of these organizations and exploring their continuing viability and relevance, Black Greek-Letter Organizations in the Twenty-first Century demonstrates that BGLOs can create a positive and enduring future and that their most important work lies ahead.

Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations
Diversity and Inclusion in Organizations

Author: Dianna L. Stone

Publisher:

Published: 2020

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781648020056

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

"The population of many nations around the world are becoming increasingly diverse (Stone-Romero, Stone, & Salas, 2003). For example, recent reports estimate that by 2060 the U. S. will become a majority minority nation (i.e., ethnic minorities including African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans will represent the majority of the population) (U. S. Bureau of Census, 2019). As a result, many U. S. and worldwide organizations will employ large number of ethnic minority group members, and will face numerous challenges associated with attracting, motivating, and retaining employees who are culturally diverse. In view of the growing cultural diversity in worldwide organizations, the primary goals of this issue are to (a) advance theory and research on diversity and inclusion in organizations, (b) present new theoretical frameworks to foster future research, and (c) consider a variety of diversity-related issues that have key implications for research and practice. It includes twelve very interesting articles that focus on an array of diversity-related issues including multiculturalism, gender, stereotypes of racial minorities, effect sizes in diversity research, diversity training, LGBT issues, age, and racial harassment, etc. For example, the first article by Dianna Stone, James Dulebohn, and Kimberly Lukaszewski discusses how differences in the cultural values of four U. S. ethnic minority groups (e.g., African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans) will influence HR policies and practices. The second article by George Dreher, Aarti Ramaswami, and Thomas Dougherty focuses on a very important issue, and considers the extent to which a life partner can act as a career catalyst (or inhibitor) and contribute to women's career attainment. The next article by Eugene Stone-Romero, Dianna Stone, Mark Hartman, and Megumi Hosoda examines the stereotypes of six ethnic groups (e.g., African-American, Mexican-American, Native American, etc.). Their results are intriguing and revealed that Anglo-Americans, Chinese-Americans, Native-Americans, and East Indian Americans were viewed most positively whereas African-American and Mexican American were viewed most negatively"--

Diversity in Black Greek Letter Organizations
Diversity in Black Greek Letter Organizations

Author: Wendy Marie Laybourn

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-04-06

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 9781138629622

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Starting in the early twentieth century and still thriving in the contemporary era, Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLOs) provide social support, networking opportunities, and service for the Black community. Although BGLOs have always been majority-Black organizations, there are small numbers of non-Black individuals who choose to pledge their membership. Diversity in Black Greek-Letter Organizations: Breaking the Line explores the experiences of these non-Black members who have immersed themselves in organizations rich with Black history and culture. Through in-depth interviews with thirty-four such members, Wendy Marie Laybourn and Devon R. Goss reveal how and why these individuals come to identify with organizations designed for the uplift of races other than their own. For non-Black BGLO members, the association with a Black organization provides them the opportunity to consider the meaning of racial inequality and their own racial identities. Although many non-Black BGLO members recount challenges to their membership, the participants in Diversity in Black Greek-Letter Organizations ultimately find a sense of belonging with their Black brothers and sisters, which Laybourn and Goss argue can provide an example of the challenges and promises of cross-racial interactions as a whole.

Black Fatigue
Black Fatigue

Author: Mary-Frances Winters

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Published: 2020-09-15

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 1523091320

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is the first book to define and explore Black fatigue, the intergenerational impact of systemic racism on the physical and psychological health of Black people—and explain why and how society needs to collectively do more to combat its pernicious effects. Black people, young and old, are fatigued, says award-winning diversity and inclusion leader Mary-Frances Winters. It is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining to continue to experience inequities and even atrocities, day after day, when justice is a God-given and legislated right. And it is exhausting to have to constantly explain this to white people, even—and especially—well-meaning white people, who fall prey to white fragility and too often are unwittingly complicit in upholding the very systems they say they want dismantled. This book, designed to illuminate the myriad dire consequences of “living while Black,” came at the urging of Winters's Black friends and colleagues. Winters describes how in every aspect of life—from economics to education, work, criminal justice, and, very importantly, health outcomes—for the most part, the trajectory for Black people is not improving. It is paradoxical that, with all the attention focused over the last fifty years on social justice and diversity and inclusion, little progress has been made in actualizing the vision of an equitable society. Black people are quite literally sickand tired of being sick and tired. Winters writes that “my hope for this book is that it will provide a comprehensive summary of the consequences of Black fatigue, and awaken activism in those who care about equity and justice—those who care that intergenerational fatigue is tearing at the very core of a whole race of people who are simply asking for what they deserve.”

Cultural Diversity in Organizations
Cultural Diversity in Organizations

Author: Taylor Cox

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Published: 1994-03-01

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 160509871X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

--Cultural Diversity in Organizations provides the most comprehensive base of knowledge yet assembled on the topic of cultural diversity. It captures the enormous complexity of the topic by examining diversity on three levels of analysis-individual, group, and organizational and addressing diversity from multiple perspectives-theory, research, and practice. Winner of the 1994 George R. Terry Book Award given by the National Academy of Management to "the book judged to have made the most outstanding contribution to the advancement of management knowle

Black Greek-Letter Organizations 2.0
Black Greek-Letter Organizations 2.0

Author: Matthew W. Hughey

Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

Published: 2011-02-18

Total Pages: 361

ISBN-13: 1604739223

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At the turn of the twentieth century, black fraternities and sororities, also known as Black Greek-Letter Organizations (BGLOs), were an integral part of what W.E.B. Du Bois called the “talented tenth.” This was the top ten percent of the black community that would serve as a cadre of educated, upper-class, motivated individuals who acquired the professional credentials, skills, and capital to assist the race to attain socioeconomic parity. Today, however, BGLOs struggle to find their place and direction in a world drastically different from the one that witnessed their genesis. In recent years, there has been a growing body of scholarship on BGLOs. This collection of essays seeks to push those who think about BGLOs to engage in more critically and empirically based analysis. This book also seeks to move BGLO members and those who work with them beyond conclusions based on hunches, conventional wisdom, intuition, and personal experience. In addition to a rich range of scholars, this volume includes a kind of call and response feature between scholars and prominent members of the BGLO community.