Controversy at University of Alabama as "Old South" Fraternity Confederate Parade Interrupts Black Sorority Anniversary Ceremony

The "Old South" rears its head on the campus of the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Kappa Alpha Order, a white fraternity that traces its roots to the Civil War and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, is embroiled in another controversy over its antebellum-theme events. The university alumnae are upset after the Kappa Alpha Order's members, decked out in Confederate uniforms and carrying battle flags, paraded past a historically black sorority as the women celebrated their group's 35th anniversary. Why do we constantly go through this mess with the Confederacy? I can fully understand the scourge blacks have towards the notion of glorifying an entity that was an integral part in the denigration of us during a dark period in American history. So, yes, I would be a little ticked off seeing these people parade around in their costumes. The Alpha Kappa Alpha members reportedly said they were shocked to see fraternity members in rebel uniforms and white women from another sorority in hoop skirts. I wouldn't call these people racist, insensitive, most definitely.

A little history on this ridiculous group, Alpha Kappa Order. It was founded in 1865 at Washington & Lee University. The group calls Gen. Lee its "spiritual founder" and has 131 chapters across the United States. The group's "Old South" events have been a fixture on Southern college campuses for many years. These "celebrations" have rightly met resistance at some schools, but others don't care, I guess. The Auburn University chapter ended its annual parades in 1992 after black students confronted white students with Confederate flags. The University of Georgia chapter canceled its "Old South" parade in 2006, due to complaints from residents of a mostly black neighborhood.

I must applaud the group's executive director, Larry Wiese, who offered his apologies for the group's interruption of the sorority's anniversary ceremony. He said that he was sensitive to the needs of the students, faculty and the community. You will recall that the University of Alabama was a hotbed of racial discrimination, with the most prominent incident occurring when then-Governor George C. Wallace staged his "stand in the schoolhouse door" to protest forced racial integration on the campus. So, I fully support the actions of the black students expressing some displeasure with this shenanigan.