BALTIMORE
Johns Hopkins University has suspended the Sigma Chi fraternity because of a “Halloween in the Hood” party that drew protests from Black students.
The invitation to the party, posted on the Web site Facebook, encouraged guests to wear “regional clothing from our locale,” with jewelry including “bling bling ice ice, grills” and “hoochie hoops.”
The party, held Saturday night at the fraternity house, featured a skeleton pirate hanging on a noose.
Black Student Union members protested the party on Monday, saying the appearance of the image and the language on the invitation highlighted racial tensions at Hopkins and the strained relations between the university and the surrounding community.
Protesters held signs showing a historical lynching next to a picture of the fraternity’s skeleton.
“We need to educate the student body because apparently some people weren’t given much of a proper lesson in the history of our country,” says Yasmene Mumby, 20, a junior and BSU member.
