The Quad: Blackface and other racist displays appeared in past UCLA Greek life yearbook pages

Yearbooks have been getting a bad rap recently.

It started last month with the resurfacing of Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s yearbook photo, his page featuring a photo of a man in blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan outfit. Then there was Virginia State Senate majority leader Tommy Norment’s yearbook, which contained a number of racist images and slurs that he had edited. And then there was Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves’ yearbook, where members of his fraternity could be seen in blackface.

The most awful example to emerge in February was a UNC yearbook page from 1979, which had an image of fraternity members dressed in KKK robes pretending to lynch another member in blackface.

A common feature of these yearbooks was that they came from institutions in the South. Yet, for all the speculation that racist yearbook photos were a feature of colleges in the South, UCLA’s yearbooks show that this phenomenon wasn’t geographically confined. And in the nearly 50 yearbooks from between 1950 and 2000 archived online, racist photos like those of individuals in blackface were relatively rare but still in existence.

UCLA’s yearbook, which was known as Southern Campus between 1920 and 1982, and Bruin Life from 1983 onward, is a mostly student-run outlet. As such, students generally chose the images that went into it. Most of the yearbook was devoted to cataloguing the past year’s events and portrait photos of graduating students. However, Greek life organizations – sororities and fraternities – were given their own pages and the opportunity to share photos of their years, and they chose to share of their most private and personal moments.

For example, a photo from 1951 shows number of people smiling in costumes, with at least one in blackface. A party from a year later has a sorority member wearing a blackface mask. In 1956, Theta Xi members held a coffin draped in a Confederate flag – an interesting choice considering that California has no direct ties to the Confederacy. The fraternity even decided to reshare the image in the 1984 yearbook.

Minstrelsy-style blackface makes an appearance in 1958, with Phi Kappa Tau members dressed as a quartet in this fashion.

The 1959 yearbook is perhaps the most egregious of the bunch, even for the late ’50s. Beta Theta Phi used its space to run an entire Nazi-themed yearbook spread, complete with members raising their hands in Nazi salutes. Phi Delta Theta shared an image of a costume party where a member wore a white robe with a pointed hood, similar to KKK attire. This, for reference, was at a time when the KKK was rising again and launching opposition against the civil rights movement.

Blackface continued into the next decade of yearbooks. During Homecoming 1959, Phi Gamma Delta created a parade float decorated as a “Tijuana Taxi.” Barefoot members wore blackface with hats in a seeming attempt to represent and mock Mexicans. Southern Campus editors lovingly praised their float-building methods and described it as a “pseudo-Mexican style” float.

Another recurrent theme of blackface usage was members depicting scary, uncivilized-looking dark individuals attacking a fair, innocent damsel. Phi Gamma Delta utilized this trope in its 1960 Mardi Gras celebrations, dressing in “pseudo-native attire.” Chi Omega made use of it in the 1961 yearbook.

Historically speaking, blackface was still prevalent in ’50s America, so the photos would not have been uncommon for their time. Nonetheless, it had still originated as a way to mock and marginalize black Americans through overt stereotypes, and these outfits were the closest thing to a black person in these all-white fraternities.

With the advent of the civil rights era in the late ’50s, however, black Americans started speaking out against the use of blackface. For example, the black community of Philadelphia took offense to the usage of blackface in the local Mummers parade. The movement was generally successful in making blackface taboo and forcing it away from the public sphere.

Yet, these photos continued to appear in UCLA yearbooks, with students making a connection between blackface and jungle-dwellers. Such outfits appear in the 1963 yearbook. Two individuals donned blackface at Phi Kappa Sigma’s Jungle Party in 1968.

Beginning in the ’70s, the yearbook format changed and Southern Campus gave fraternities and sororities the option to include only one group photo. As such, the photos of drinking and partying ended for a while, before returning again in the ’80s yearbooks. By then, blackface usage had ostensibly subsided and organization members probably became more prudent in the photos they decided to share. But blackface would make one final appearance in UCLA’s yearbooks in 1985, in which Theta Chi members stereotypically dressed up as black people, complete with fake dreadlocks.

In the post-civil rights era, one would have expected the students in these photos to have known the racist implications of what they were doing. For reference, in 1968, a fraternity held a “Viva Zapata” themed party based on Mexican stereotypes. Following a small student protest, UCLA suspended the fraternity. So there was some understanding at that time that mocking races and nationalities was unacceptable. While these photos are rare in yearbooks, it’s interesting that given the option to have about four photos to represent your entire year, these were sometimes the images students chose to go with.

All this isn’t to say that members of fraternities were the only ones with racial biases. Non-Greek members weren’t given the chance to share their private, personal photos in yearbooks, so it remains unknown whether they ever engaged in these representations.

And racism can’t just be distilled to just images of blackface – it can appear as brash parties or even incidents that go unnoticed for years. The 1968 Viva Zapata party had a banner reading “No Negros, No Japs, No Dogs.” In 1993, a Theta Xi songbook emerged where Theta Chi wrote a song about a “Mexican whore.” And just three years ago it was revealed that Pi Kappa Phi members made racist jokes in their meeting minutes, using a variant of the n-word. And these are just the incidents that went public.

Overall, UCLA yearbooks weren’t as overtly racist as Virginia yearbooks or the UNC one, even though students engaged in blackface usage over the years. But looking at only these public displays by a select few students barely scratches the surface of this campus’ past.

Buffaloes stampede past Bruins, bypass them in Pac-12 standings

This post was updated March 7 at 10:31 p.m.

The Bruins failed to take advantage of a golden opportunity.

UCLA men’s basketball (16-14, 9-8 Pac-12) had a chance to cement itself as a top-four seed in the conference at Colorado (18-11, 9-8) on Thursday night, but the Bruins fell to the Buffaloes 93-68.

UCLA began the night in control of the No. 3 seed in the Pac-12 – good for a first-round bye in the conference tournament – but the loss to Colorado not only allowed the Buffaloes to leapfrog the Bruins in the standings, it also knocked UCLA out of the top four.

Since Utah (15-13, 9-7) defeated USC (15-14, 8-8) on Thursday night, the Bruins have to beat the Utes in their season finale Saturday to have a chance at claiming a bye.

The Bruins also entered the night with the highest scoring offense in the conference, but struggled to get much of anything going on the offensive end. Outside of sophomore guards Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes, who combined for 37 points, the rest of the Bruins were only able to score 31 points on 33.3 percent shooting.

Colorado, on the other hand, got significant contributions from multiple players, including guards Shane Gatling and Tyler Bey. The pair finished with a combined 53 points on 20-of-33 shooting despite Gatling missing six of his eight attempts from beyond the arc.

With the win, the Buffaloes now own control of the tiebreaker with the Bruins, meaning they would get the higher seeding in the event both teams finish with identical conference records.

UCLA will tip-off its season finale with Utah at 4 p.m. in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Despite rocky start, men’s basketball brings Colorado’s lead to 37-27 at half

The Bruins’ road trip didn’t get off to the best start Thursday night.

UCLA men’s basketball (16-13, 9-7 Pac-12) trails Colorado (17-11, 8-8) 37-27 at the break after shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the first half.

The Bruins missed 10 of their first 11 shots from the field and turned the ball over seven times in the opening half, but they managed to hold the Buffaloes to 40 percent shooting to keep the game within reach.

Sophomore guards Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes combined to score 17 of the Bruins’ 27 first-half points on 5-of-14 shooting. The rest of the team, however, converted on just four of its 13 shot attempts.

UCLA did do a solid job containing Colorado sharpshooter Shane Gatling, though, holding him to nine points on 2-of-6 shooting. Gatling scored 28 points and hit seven 3s in the two schools’ previous meeting Feb. 6.

The Buffaloes trail the Bruins by just one game in the Pac-12 standings, but they would take control of the tiebreaker with a win. UCLA on the other hand, would drastically improve its chances at a first-round bye in the conference tournament with a win considering Colorado would no longer be able to catch it in the standings.

 

Around the League: March 7

Gymnastics
Angie Forburger, assistant Sports editor

The postseason is right around the corner.

No. 2 UCLA (7-1, 6-0 Pac-12) suffered its first loss of the season to No. 1 Oklahoma on Sunday, falling to the Sooners by two-tenths of a point. The Bruins will next host No. 23 Stanford (1-5, 1-5), marking UCLA’s first home meet in two weeks.

The Cardinal most recently took home a win over No. 25 Arizona (1-6, 1-5) on Feb. 24 after falling to No. 4 Utah (8-1, 5-1) the week before on Feb. 18. Stanford’s meet against UCLA is its final meet before the Pac-12 championships.

The Arizona Wildcats finished in first place at a quad meet against Texas Women’s University, Centenary College and Air Force on Sunday and will head to Raleigh, North Carolina, for another quad meet Saturday against North Carolina State, George Washington and Texas Women’s.

The Utes have only dropped one meet this season, against the Bruins on Feb. 23. Most recently, Utah defeated No. 8 Michigan on their home floor, and will travel to face No. 7 Georgia on March 16.

Behind UCLA and Utah, No. 12 Oregon State (4-2, 4-2) ranks third in conference standings. Oregon State took home a tri-meet win against Bowling Green and Alaska Anchorage on Friday and will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Friday to face No. 5 LSU.

No. 18 Washington (2-4, 2-3) took second in its first tri-meet of the season Friday against No. 10 Boise State and Utah State. Washington will next host a tri-meet against Sacramento State and Iowa on Friday.

After defeating Washington by three-tenths of a point on Feb. 23, No. 15 California (2-4, 2-3) took first in a tri-meet against Sacramento State and UC Davis on Friday. Cal will next travel to San Jose State.

No. 20 Arizona State (2-3, 1-3) has not won a meet since defeating Stanford on Feb. 10. Arizona State will next travel to Denver for a quad meet against No. 6 Denver, No. 15 Nebraska and Pittsburgh before hosting West Virginia and No. 17 BYU the following week on March 13 to conclude their regular season.

The Pac-12 championships are slated for March 23 in West Valley City, Utah.

Men’s basketball
Gabriel McCarthy, assistant Sports editor

A number of Pac-12 tournament seeds have yet to be decided in the last weekend of conference play.

UCLA men’s basketball (16-13, 9-7 Pac-12) extended its win streak to three games with a 93-88 overtime win over USC (15-14, 8-8). UCLA will face Colorado (17-11, 8-8) and Utah (15-13, 9-7) on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. The Utes are one spot behind the Bruins in the Pac-12 rankings.

Washington (24-6, 15-2) has clinched the outright conference title and will have the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament. The Huskies will close their season with a home game against Oregon Ducks (17-12, 8-8) on Saturday. Washington forward Matisse Thybulle is among the 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year trophy and has the most career steals of any active player in NCAA Division I.

Arizona State (20-9, 11-6) has claimed the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, most recently defeating Oregon State. Besides Arizona State and Washington, the only other seeds that have been decided are No. 11 seed Washington State (11-19, 4-13) and No. 12 California (7-22, 2-15). Two first-round byes also have to be determined by the end of conference play.

Oregon State will conclude its regular season matches against Washington State on the road. Oregon State was most recently defeated by Arizona (17-3, 8-9), Arizona State and Washington by scores of 74-72, 74-71 and 76-81 in overtime, respectively.

Utah will host both USC and UCLA to close its schedule. The Utes and Bruins share the same conference record but are in the No. 4 and No. 3 spots, respectively. The top four teams in the standings receive first-round byes in Pac-12 tournament play.

Colorado occupies the No. 7 spot in conference standings, and will also close out its season hosting games against UCLA and USC.

Women’s basketball
Joy Hong, assistant Sports editor

The Pac-12 tournament bracket is set.

No. 25 UCLA women’s basketball (19-11, 12-6 Pac-12) secured the No. 4 seed for the tournament after taking care of business against Utah (20-9, 9-9) and Colorado (12-17, 2-16) to wrap up the regular season Sunday.

Utah is the No. 6 seed and will take on No. 11 seed Washington (9-20, 2-15), while No. 12-seeded Colorado will face No. 5 seed Arizona State (19-9, 10-7) – both in the first round Thursday.

No. 6 Oregon (27-3, 16-2) was crowned the regular season conference champion last weekend for the second consecutive season. The Ducks earned the No. 1 seed and will take on No. 8-seeded Arizona (17-12, 7-11) and No. 9 seed USC (17-12, 7-11) in the quarterfinals Friday.

No. 7 Stanford (25-4, 15-3) – which fell to Oregon in the championship game last year – finished the regular season in second again, and will face the winner of No. 7 seed California (18-11, 9-9) and No. 10 Washington State (9-20, 4-14).

No. 11 Oregon State (24-6, 14-4) also earned a bye, securing the No. 3 seed last weekend, and will battle the winner of Utah and Washington.

The conference tournament will kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday when seeds five through 12 will compete in the first round.

Oregon, Stanford, Oregon State and UCLA earned byes and will play their first games in the quarterfinals Friday.

Panel of women in entertainment discusses Hollywood’s lasting inequities

When Katie Silberman moved from Nebraska to Los Angeles to pursue a career in Hollywood, she emailed 50 of her favorite screenwriters. Though she only received one response, she said that email helped her break into the entertainment industry.

Her writing credits now include several films, including Netflix comedy “Set It Up,” Warner Bros. rom-com “Isn’t it Romantic” and Olivia Wilde’s upcoming “Booksmart.”

Silberman was one of three writers present at Wednesday night’s Women in Entertainment Speaker Series hosted by Bruin Film Society. Other speakers included former journalist and television writer Kara Brown and writer and director Minhal Baig, who spoke about their experiences as women in the industry. Priyanka Kapoor, a third-year political science student and the vice president of BFS, said the club’s ongoing speaker series aims to provide a space for voices that aren’t usually heard in Hollywood.

“Unfortunately, these women’s voices aren’t always given the platform that they should be,” Kapoor said. “But they’re just ultimately really good at their job, and so it’s also a matter of hearing people who are experts at what they do.”

The panel was moderated by Kapoor and BFS event coordinator Kevin Yang, a fourth-year political science and economics student. For Brown, the transition from a solitary writer at Jezebel to working in a writer’s room for “Grown-ish” was a surprisingly enjoyable one, as she said she tends to be an independent person. Silberman also said multiple perspectives are important when writing comedy scripts, as several revisions and perspectives are needed to sharpen the humor.

Though the panelists gravitate toward different genres, Brown’s work is currently focused on romantic comedies. She joked with the audience, saying films of the rom-com genre are the only ones typically directed by women and include at least two female characters – the lead and her best friend.

[RELATED: Second Take: List of best director nominees indicate gender inequity remaining in Hollywood]

However, Brown also chose to write rom-coms for more personal reasons. As a black woman, Brown wanted to create stories where black characters can be carefree. Many films about African-American people – like “Selma” or Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” – focus on slavery or civil rights. Brown said she is tired of seeing black people constantly suffering on-screen – there should be more lighthearted films and projects across various genres that feature black leads.

“First of all, I think we should be learning about slavery in classrooms with books. I don’t think your main introduction to the horror of it should be through a movie theater,” Brown said. “But, also, I want to see black people on screen doing fun stuff … I want to watch a movie and feel good at the end of it.”

Toward the end of the event, the moderators opened the floor to audience questions, one of which focused on the difficulty of being chosen for writing and directing fellowships. Baig said she also is disheartened by the process, and even wrote an op-ed in The New York Times about the struggle women, especially women of color, face in order to gain recognition in the industry.

However, she said posting creative work on platforms such as Vimeo and YouTube helps people distribute their own projects instead of relying on others. She cited an example of her friend Fatimah Asghar, who released her web series “Brown Girls” on streaming platforms before it was bought by HBO.

“If you want to make something, go make it. Write your feature, write your TV pilot,” Baig said. Go and create a short film with your friends or a web series. I really think you should just make the thing and put it out into the universe.”

The discussion then turned toward diversity as a female audience member asked if the term has been reduced to an industry buzzword. All three panelists disagreed with the sentiment, and said it is still important to fight for a diverse crew. Silberman said she was lucky in that three of the five films she’s worked on were directed by women – but that is often not a trend in Hollywood.

[RELATED: Film archive series to shed light on Hollywood’s unrecognized female directors]

While shooting her film “Hala,” Baig said she was open to hiring both men and women for positions. But when she asked for crew suggestions, she only received recommendations of white men, and needed to specify that she was also looking for women and people of color. Brown said it is important to fight against the standard in Hollywood, which tends to be white and male.

In the aftermath of the #MeToo movement, student attendees said events that uplift women’s voices are important. Lindsay Opoku-Acheampong, a graduate directing student, said she attended the panel because she wanted to see how women are shifting the film industry. She was especially interested in learning about Baig’s story following the success of “Hala” at the Sundance Film Festival. Jahmil Eady, a graduate screenwriting and directing student, also said she wanted to hear from women who have attained success in the industry.

“I’m interested in hearing about the personal experiences of other women who work in the industry and who are doing what I hope to do one day,” Eady said. “I’m super excited that it’s primarily women of color speaking.”

Women’s basketball prepares for first Pac-12 tournament game against Arizona State

Cori Close said the warmup for the big dance starts Friday.

“As much as we want to win the conference tournament, that’s not what we’re preparing for,” the coach said. “We’re preparing for the NCAA tournament.”

No. 25 UCLA women’s basketball (19-11, 12-6 Pac-12) earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the 2019 Pac-12 Tournament. No. 5 seed Arizona State (20-9, 11-7) defeated No. 12 seed Colorado (12-18, 2-16) 66-49 in the first round and will face UCLA on Friday morning.

“You better (match the Sun Devils’ intensity),” Close said. “I would say we’re two of the hottest teams in the conference.”

Arizona State upset then-No. 9 Oregon State 66-54 and trailed by as little as one point in the fourth quarter to the Pac-12 regular season champion No. 6Oregon in its final two games of the regular season.

In UCLA’s lone meeting against then-No. 16 Arizona State, senior guard Japreece Dean drilled a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to lift the Bruins over the Sun Devils 61-59 on Jan. 25. The Bruins went on to win nine of their next 11 games.

“That (Arizona State-Arizona) road trip, I thought was the turning point,” Close said. “To beat a really good ASU team … and then to go into triple overtime at Arizona. ‘Ok,’ they thought. ‘We can do this.’ And I think that was a major momentum shift.”

Arizona State forward and leading scorer Kianna Ibis logged 20 and 23 points against Oregon and Oregon State, respectively, but was held to 10 points against the Bruins.

“Last time we scouted (Ibis) really well,” said sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere. “They were setting solid screens for her, a lot of cross screens for her in terms of getting her open.”

Onyenwere and a bevy of other Bruins received Pac-12 accolades this week.

“It’s an honor because we have such great (players) in this conference,” Onyenwere said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my teammates and my coaches because they instill so much confidence in me.”

Onyenwere, selected to the All-Pac-12 Team, averaged 21.1 points over her last eight games – good for third-best in the Pac-12 during that span.

Senior guard Kennedy Burke, selected to the All-Defensive team, leads Pac-12 guards with 25 blocks and is ranked fourth with 56 steals. Redshirt freshman guard Lindsey Corsaro is fifth among freshmen in scoring with 7.2 points per game.

UCLA could have a potential quarterfinal rematch against No. 1 seed Oregon. The Ducks are shooting a conference-best 51.3 percent from the field, averaging 87.3 points per game – just over 11 points ahead of the next best team.

“We know everyone in the Pac-12 are good teams despite records,” Dean said.

Three of the Pac-12’s top-10 scorers are aligned on the Bruins’ side of the bracket: Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon forward Satou Sabally and the Pac-12 leading scorer, with 24.9 points per game, guard Aari McDonald of Arizona.

“The offensive threats in the Pac-12 is just crazy,” Onyenwere said. “But it’s just going to be about who plays their hardest and who wants it more and who’s going to out-hustle the other team.”

Op-ed: In face of legal developments, UC strives to ensure integrity of Title IX process

Nationwide, higher education institutions like the University of California are navigating a period of uncertainty around the laws governing our response to sexual harassment, including sexual violence.

Understandably, the UC community is concerned.

As the University’s interim systemwide Title IX coordinator, I want to make sure this lack of certainty does not prompt confusion or even fear. So I would like to explain how some recent developments affect the UC – including proposed federal regulations and California case law – and how we are choosing to respond. I also want to underscore the UC’s unwavering commitment to a fair resolution process that treats parties with respect and compassion, and results in just outcomes.

Many of you know the U.S. Department of Education published proposed Title IX rules in November that would dictate how schools respond to sexual harassment complaints. The UC has taken a strong, public stance against parts of the rules, including its very narrow definition of sexual harassment and the low standards it would hold schools to. The UC will continue to take such a stance.

We do not know at this point when the department will issue the rules, or what those policies will ultimately require. Still, I know the simple prospect of the rules, and the surrounding ambiguity, leave many of you worried. As an attorney who dedicated over a decade to the department’s Office for Civil Rights, I am troubled, too. When the department eventually issues the rules, the UC will respond strategically and thoughtfully, prioritizing the security and well-being of our students and the broader community.

But more pressing developments have occurred at the state level. In January, an appellate court ruled for the first time that California colleges and universities must hold hearings to resolve sexual misconduct cases in which the respondent is a student, sanctions are potentially severe, and credibility is a central issue.

While we await news of the federal Title IX rules, the UC has had to take immediate steps to comply with this state ruling. We have done so with the primary goals of protecting both parties and the integrity of the process. Specifically, we have revised and issued an interim sexual violence and sexual harassment student adjudication framework to provide both complainants and respondents the right to an appeal with an evidentiary hearing for any reason in any case resulting in suspension or dismissal. Even before the recent changes, the framework allowed parties to request an appeal of their cases on certain grounds, with a possible hearing – and the interim policy expands this part of the process.

It is important to know the appellate court ruling does not require that cross-examination take the form described in the Department of Education’s proposed Title IX rules. The proposed Title IX rules would require that hearings include cross-examination conducted by parties’ representatives, who are often lawyers.

I understand this is an intimidating prospect for both parties as well as witnesses, but particularly for those wrestling with the already difficult decision of whether to come forward. While courts recognize the importance of allowing parties to pose questions, rulings have allowed impartial intermediaries such as a hearing panel to pose questions.

Furthermore, both the courts and the proposed federal Title IX rules allow parties to participate in hearings from separate locations to make the experience less intimidating. In the UC’s appeal hearings, a neutral person poses questions and may exclude those they deem harassing, irrelevant or unduly repetitive, and parties will be physically separated if they prefer. This is how the University has conducted appeal hearings in the past, and how we will proceed under our interim policy.

To be clear, we have no intention of allowing cross-examination by parties’ lawyers or other representatives or adopting other aspects of the proposed Title IX rules that we believe would be harmful, unless and until we are absolutely legally required to do so.

While the interim policy is in place, a systemwide workgroup the University recently formed will help develop a longer-term approach to conducting hearings, and carefully, thoughtfully address the most difficult questions they present – informed by both law and best practices. Comprising dedicated representatives of stakeholder groups through the UC community, including students, faculty, Title IX and student conduct staff, and Campus Assault Resource and Education advocates, this workgroup will help us arrive at solutions that are not only legally compliant, but also true to our values. The University will also dedicate its attention to ensuring our informal resolution process is as robust and meaningful an option as possible for those who prefer an alternative to a hearing.

Finally, I want to assure you that the Title IX and Student Conduct professionals on your campus care deeply about students, and are committed to getting this right. Additionally, your CARE office is dedicated to supporting individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct, and the Respondent Services office is equally committed to assisting respondents going through the Title IX process. I encourage you to draw on these resources to understand these changes and how they might affect you.

Combating sexual harassment and fostering a culture of safety, respect and accountability require an unshakable commitment to progress, even in the face of change and uncertainty. The UC has made tremendous headway the past few years, and we will not allow obstacles to halt our trajectory. A fair process is critical – yet of little value unless members of our community harmed by sexual misconduct continue to come forward. The UC must continue to hold the values of fairness and humanity equally close as we confront the current challenges and those ahead.

We will not be discouraged and we will not falter – this work is far too important.

Taylor is the UC’s interim systemwide Title IX coordinator.