Navigating Whiteness: Race, Class, and Social Dynamics in Predominantly White Sororities
Poster Number
52
Faculty Mentor Name
Dr. Hernandez, Marcia
Research or Creativity Area
Social Sciences
Abstract
In the social landscape of college campuses, Greek life - particularly sororities - has long been a place where identity, inclusion, and exclusion alike intersect. Historically white sororities (HWGs) often mirror broader societal hierarchies, shaping experiences of race, class, and gender within their ranks (Parks, 2010). For women of color and women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, participation in sororities and navigating these spaces involves both community and complexity. Research indicates that as higher education institutions strive for diversity, equity, and inclusion, it becomes increasingly necessary to explore how marginalized individuals navigate these historically exclusive organizations (Jones, 2022; Ojed & Dizon, 2022). By using autoethnography to examine the lived experiences of minority sorority members, placed in the context of peer-reviewed literature, this paper reveals that social integration is often conditional, coded, and complicated by systemic inequities embedded in the Greek system (Matias, 2019; Parks, 2010)
Location
University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
Start Date
26-4-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
26-4-2025 1:00 PM
Navigating Whiteness: Race, Class, and Social Dynamics in Predominantly White Sororities
University of the Pacific, DeRosa University Center
In the social landscape of college campuses, Greek life - particularly sororities - has long been a place where identity, inclusion, and exclusion alike intersect. Historically white sororities (HWGs) often mirror broader societal hierarchies, shaping experiences of race, class, and gender within their ranks (Parks, 2010). For women of color and women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, participation in sororities and navigating these spaces involves both community and complexity. Research indicates that as higher education institutions strive for diversity, equity, and inclusion, it becomes increasingly necessary to explore how marginalized individuals navigate these historically exclusive organizations (Jones, 2022; Ojed & Dizon, 2022). By using autoethnography to examine the lived experiences of minority sorority members, placed in the context of peer-reviewed literature, this paper reveals that social integration is often conditional, coded, and complicated by systemic inequities embedded in the Greek system (Matias, 2019; Parks, 2010)
