Showing posts with label soap box. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soap box. Show all posts

Monday, March 1, 2010

Step. Step on the Soapbox.

I typically don't touch on controversial topics here on BitP but today there is a soap box I am willing to stand on. I recently read an article about the winning of the predominantly black "Sprite Step Off" contest by a white sorority: the Zetas of University of Arkansas.

Stepping has always fascinated me. As a tutor for at-risk youth in high school, I was amazed at how you could convince the kids to focus on their studies for just a few more minutes by dangling attendance to step class in front of them. Being pretty uncoordinated myself I was in awe by the rhythm and art that went into a series of step, stomp, & claps. It takes patience, time, and practice to learn the drills just as any other synchronized dance would take.

This is why I am having a hard time accepting that there is a controversy surrounding the 2009 contest. Every single competitor spent hours of time creating, rehearsing, and perfecting their programs. Just as in any other dance competition, someone shines a little brighter than the others and is deemed the victor. If we are a nation of equals why must stepping be deemed a "black tradition" and that the Zetas stepped into territory in which they were unwelcome. Watch the video: they were great & deserved to win. Why must there be a double standard?
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