Photos of mock lynching at Halloween party leads to suspensions at white Auburn U. frats

Auburn University Recently Suspended approximetly 185 students from to White fraternities after racially offensive photos were circulated on the Internet of their members wearing blackface and dressed as the Khu Klux Klan during a Halloween party.

At Jet press time the Delta Sigma Phi and Beta Theta Pi fraternities were being investigated for violating Auburn's discrimination and harassment rules. The probe began when pictures from the October costume parties were posted on the Internet.

The Images of White fraternity members dressed up as Ku Klux Klansmen staging a mock lynching of someone in blackface wearing a T-shirt bearing the name FUBU (refering to the Black cloting line For Us By Us) were placed on a Web site administrated by Village Photographers of Auburn. Other photos taken at the party were a frat members dressed in the purple and gold T-shirts of the Black fraternity Omega Psi Phi wearing blackface and sporting Afro wigs, stocking caps and bulky jewelry while making gang-sign gestures.

Octavius Walton, president of the university's Omega Psi Phi fraternity, said that an apology would not be enough. He told the Montgomery Adviser, "They need more than just a pat on the wrist."

Walton said that Omega members copied the photos from the Internet and linked them to their Web page and contacted the university's administration. "We knew it would be a problem trying to prove it. We had to have evidence," said Walton. "It's not what you can say, but what you can prove."

The Omega Psi Phi fraternity is one of the oldest and largest Black Greek organizations in the nation. Some of its noted members include author Langston Hughes, comedian Bill Cosby, political activist the Rev. Jesse Jackson and basketball great Michael Jordan.

"These images are shocking and outrageous and they are unacceptable," said Auburn's Interin President William F. Walker. "On behalf of the faculty, staff and students, I apologize deeply for the hurt that has been caused for so many by the insensitive acts of a few students."

Sanford Johnson, president of the university's Black Student Union, said that the school needs to investigate the properly punish the fraternities, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"We want to see these groups and these individuals held accountable," said Johnson."So much racial progress has been made the last few years, and one incident like this could reverse all of that."