We tried to warn people, a couple of times actually, yet we knew this would happen anyway. Six members of the Phi Mu sorority at the University of Southern Mississippi wore blackface in attempt to portray the Huxtable family from The Cosby Show for an '80's themed costume party last week.
The Dean of Students defended them, saying that they didn't intend to offend anyone, but also made it clear that they were completely ignorant to notion that blackface is offensive in 2011. And every year prior to it. The President of Phi Mu National Sorority was lightning-quick to distance the organization from the actions of the USM 6, all of whom have been placed on probation.
During this period, the girls will take diversity and cultural competency classes. We'd recommend a course titled "Get Your Head Out of Your Ass 101", also known as life in the real world. When in doubt about how potentially offensive your costume might be, just find an alternative. The problem is that there isn't any doubt. There will be another incident like this soon enough, so people really don't learn.
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