How Black Fraternity Men Understand the Pursuit of Hegemonic Ideologies

This study explored how Black men makesense of the masculine aspect of their identity andadult development juxtaposed with the ideology of leadership within the realms of a Black, Greek-letterfraternity on a predominantly White college campusin the South. Historically, administrators of colleges and universities have accepted those who participate as active members of Greek-letter organizations, as campus leaders who go on to become leaders in teh community. Participants included 7 members of Chi Omega Sigma, Fraternity, Inc. (pseudonym). Each participant was interviewed and provided life stories following the line of masculinity from birth to present. By examining masculinity throughthe lens of Black feminist theory, theresearcherwas able to understand participants\u27 stories form acritical perspective. This revealed power structures within the fraternity, inter-group racism,and influences of outsideentities such as family dynamics. Narrative inquiry methodology was used to gather stories fromthe participants. Following a tenet for social justice of the oppressed , Creative Analytic Practice (CAP), alsoreferred to as the Seventh Moment, allowedfor hte utilization of creative forms of presentations of data. Through an analysis of participant voices, the following themes emerged: (1)The mating dance: Understanding enactments of gender and sexuality; (2) Folow your dress code: Abiding by teh often unwritten rules for behaving,believing, and being: (3) It\u27sall in the family: The fraternity doesn\u27t change you, it brings out who you are: and (4) He\u27s not too heavy, he\u27s my brother: Understanding and acceptingthe individual despite imperfections and being an active role model