Crossing the Sands, Crossing the Color Line: Non-Black Members of Black Greek Letter Organizations.

Although law prohibits de jure race bias in US college fraternities and sororities, racial separation prevails de facto through custom, tradition, and preference. While historically Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) are typically depicted as racially ‘closed’ and ‘exclusive,’ this article explores the social history and meaning of those instances when non-blacks have crossed that specific racial boundary. If Greek organizations act as a dominating influence upon campus life, the possibility exists that cross-racial Greek membership promotes intimacy, tolerance, and understanding, while also feasibly promoting the continued tokenism of “others” as a theme that earns the host organization multicultural credentials in a politically correct society. Specifically, this study adds nuance to the predominant account of diversity within US college fraternities and sororities by identifying, describing, and constructing a picture of an often-ignored aspect of cross-racial contact. To achieve this goal, qualitative approaches are employed including extant literature review, document gathering, and sociological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]