Introduction

In an era often exalted as moving toward "colorblindness," many believe that the existence of social spaces of color represents a racially-based blight on our otherwise "post-racial" society. On the other hand, however, there is a different perspective, in which racial spaces provide much needed support and solidarity to marginalized groups in society. This chapter explores the tensions between these two perspectives as they apply to the entrance of non-black members into Black fraternities and sororities. While the TMZ segment was a lighthearted clip capitalizing on the peculiarity of this modern-day color-line transgression, non-Black entrance into BGLOs continues to be contentious. Black Greek-letter organizations (BGLO) are characterized by continued community service, academic excellence, lifelong membership, and an extensive pledging process prior to official membership. As such, existing BGLO research largely focuses on either the benefits of membership or the problems associated with pledging, particularly hazing. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.