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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Rogue Valley musicians shine in OLLI’s spring class schedule Work your body to save your braaaaains Ashland robotics team fares well at Oregon City Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup ASHLAND: High school principal receives national award Education Rogue Valley musicians shine in OLLI’s spring class schedule Work your body to save your braaaaains Ashland robotics team fares well at Oregon City ASHLAND: High school principal receives national award Willow Wind students raise money for water Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Legislature might be divided on clean fuels bill, but these Ashlanders weren't Ashland Rowing Club members put their backs into Emigrant Lake clean-up The birdman of Bellview Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Civic sedan Silvio Calabi: Mercedes-Benz ML250 raises the diesel 4×4 stakes Ride & Drive: 2015 Chrysler 300 Silvio Calabi: Volvo XC60 is sexy safety in an SUV Ride & Drive: 2015 Audi R8 Politics and elections Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out today Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Gov. Kitzhaber steps down, federal investigation begins State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Kate Brown sworn in as Oregon's 38th governor Federal investigation of Kitzhaber to focus on potential financial crimes Gov. Kitzhaber announces resignation Read Gov. John Kitzhaber's statement on his resignation Nation - World Leonard Nimoy, famous as Mr. Spock on 'Star Trek,' dies Obituaries William F. Christofferson Death Notices Death Notices Death Notices Ramona G. (Austin) Fletcher Shareable Bank of America is predicting a massive Tesla collapse Mars One attracts science fiction geeks and people who hate society This $1 million Mercedes is like an armored private jet for the road Sports Latest Stories Dynamic offenses square off in SOU-Midland first-round matchup SOU women end first-round slump, crush Robert Morris by 25 Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential No. 10 SOU women brace for national tourney breakfast bracket ASHLAND: Oak Knoll to host free FootGolf event High school Grizz snowboard team heads to state with repeat potential Grizzlies let second-half lead slip away in season-ending loss to CV Williams named first-team all-star Owls stun No. 8 Raiders Norvell goes from newbie to state favorite Southern Oregon University Dynamic offenses square off in SOU-Midland first-round matchup SOU women end first-round slump, crush Robert Morris by 25 No. 10 SOU women brace for national tourney breakfast bracket Raiders tied for third, Gutches two wins from four-peat at NAIA nationals SOU's Maguin advances to 400 final Voices Latest Stories Kent Bush: The Internet is governed by people who have never sent an email Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Letters to the Editor, March 11 Landgren cartoon: Farewell to circus elephants Landgren cartoon: Potholes Editorial Our View: No need for blame in Hannah Thomas-Garner case Our view: Ashland tackles school attendance areas the right way Our View: Spelling out safety Our View: Our View: A growing concern Letters Letters to the Editor, March 11 Letters to the Editor, March 9 Letters to the Editor, March 7 Letters to the Editor, March 5 Letters to the Editor, March 4 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Guest Opinion: There is nothing uniform about the Uniform Crime Report Guest Opinion: Growth carries risks Guest Opinion: Legal poisons in our waters Columns Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them Guest Opinion: Ashland schools failed to protect my son from bullying Council Corner: Solar power in Ashland's future Mark L. Hopkins: Looking for a political straight shooter Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Take a peek at poet Scott Wozniak Community blog: Memorize poems with your whole body Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Theater Ticket Availability Ticket Availability Ticket Availability 'She Stoops' rises on SOU stage Review: OSF keeps the comedy afloat in 'Much Ado' Music Alice DiMicele plays Unitarian Fellowship The Farr Side: Another career highlight for Kelly Clarkson Music on the Mountain: Ski area launching concert series Victor D. Infante: Just in time for Valentine’s Day, some favorite breakup songs The Farr Side: Smith dominates, Beck surprises at Grammys Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup AGING HAPPENS: Ashland synagogue hosts screening of Chopra film Laid-back Liam Neeson and Ed Harris get vicious in ‘Run All Night’ Pop Culture Notebook: ‘Community,’ ‘Avengers’ and ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ on the horizon Antionette Kerr: Nimoy’s legacy lives on in ‘Star Trek’ Food and Drink Sammich does it Chicago-style Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories American Association of University Women Ashland American Association of University Women Ashland Derek Kelly: Putting the pieces back together Page H. Onorato: The 10 commandments for the Southern cook Page H. 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Kent Bush: Things will never change unless we change them By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 6:42 am Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 6:42 am Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2324,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Hello, you are reading this column in 2015. I’m not making that announcement because of daylight saving time adjustments from the weekend. I am making that announcement because on the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday Civil Rights events in Selma, Alabama, an Oklahoma University fraternity was disbanded after video of overtly racist chants on a party bus were posted online. Members of the school’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter were seen and heard chanting “There will never be a n--- in SAE” and following it with cute phrases about hanging those same people who are excluded from SAE membership from a tree. University President David Boren wasted no time and handing down swift and harsh punishment. The house was cleared, and the fraternity was disbanded and no longer has a presence on campus. Everyone in the National Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization rushed to paint this as an isolated event. I would love to believe that. But several facts drive my belief that this was not isolated on the Norman campus and probably not isolated nationwide. That was not the first time that chant had been yelled. When a couple of idiots started it up on the party bus – because nothing says “Let’s have fun at a party” like shouting racist epithets – far too many partygoers knew the chant and shouted and clapped along. It wasn’t isolated among that group of fraternity members. It was a fight song, a rally cry, a declaration. Other evidence doesn’t support the claim that those beliefs are isolated among the group. As the controversy began to unfold, interest was drawn in the SAE fraternity house just up the road in Stillwater on the campus of Oklahoma State University. A rebel flag is proudly displayed in the window of one of the member’s rooms. One would hope that at my alma mater, the young man was just a really big “Dukes of Hazzard” fan, and not a symbol of more widespread racism within his fraternity. I want to believe that. I don’t, but I want to. This incident has been hurtful to many students at the university. It has been nice to see the overwhelming response following the incident from President Boren, to students on campus, to former OU fraternity members who have been posting their disbelief that this happened in their Greek system on their alma mater. That was the most disturbing thing about the video. Groupthink led many on the bus to clap along and giggle at the chants. Only one person, purportedly a young lady invited along to the party, had the courage to use her phone to record the incident and expose the horrible truth. Like I said before, it is 2015. We are 150 years from the abolition of slavery, 50 years from Selma’s Civil rights march, and six years from electing our first black president. But in the blink of an eye, it will be 2065. If we as a society truly want to see this behavior end, there has to be fewer chanters and cheerers when incidents like this happen. We need more people to stand up and have the courage to shine the light on these cultural cockroaches and drive them out of our shared spaces. As the adoptive father of a black child, I don’t want to feel this way again. I don’t want him to suffer the pain of people treating him this way. Things don’t just change. People change things. It is time we all stand up and say that this is not acceptable on our campus, in our neighborhood, on this party bus, or in my house. If we want it to get better, we have to do our part to make it better. Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star and can be reached at [email protected]. By Kent Bush More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Kent Bush More Content Now Posted Mar. 10, 2015 @ 6:42 am Updated Mar 10, 2015 at 6:43 AM » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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