Kanye West-themed party sparks outage on college campus
Students at UCLA filled the university chancellor’s office Thursday in response to a Kanye West-themed fraternity party they said was offensive, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A “Kanye Western” party thrown by the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Alpha Phi sorority Tuesday night featured students in baggy clothes or dressed like the Kardashians, and some wearing blackface, the report said.
When pictures from the party popped up on social media, some students said the party gear was racist and mocking of African-American culture, sparking the social media hashtag #BlackBruinsMatter.
Thursday, at the chancellor’s office, UCLA vice chancellor Jerry Kang told the crowd he was heartbroken because “black Bruins’ lives matter,” the report said. He wants the university to address the issue.
“It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American, it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,” he said.
UCLA said it is investigating the party and talking to students, the report said.
The sorority could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Contact Chris Kudialis at ckudialis@reviewjournal.com.