Content warning: Mentions of racial violence
After Black Sisterhood at McGill (BSISSY) began recruiting members to start an Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority chapter at McGill, co-founders Lena Karis Moussio, U1 Arts, and Astou Badiane, U1 Arts, received racist comments and threats of violence through the organization’s Instagram account. The account was subsequently taken down after being falsely reported.
Established in 1908, AKA was founded in the United States at Howard University, a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). As the oldest Greek-letter organization established by Black women on a college campus, AKA aims to foster unity and friendship among college women while simultaneously advancing and uplifting Black communities. In a written statement to The Tribune, Moussio and Badiane described BSISSY’s mission in creating an AKA chapter at McGill.
“Aiming to bring a chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. to McGill, […] [BSISSY is] a sorority based on Black excellence, Black sisterhood, and […] giving back to the community,” Moussio and Badiane wrote. “[It is] a space where Black women can be themselves and feel safe, without having to be someone else.”
However, once BSISSY began recruiting on social media, their Instagram account was targeted with racist comments and private messages.
“The comments we were receiving were asking what the point of doing this was, if white guys could join, and saying things like ‘If it were white people doing this, we would’ve burned the school down,’” Moussio and Badiane shared. “Someone even told us to ‘stay segregated’ and called us ‘baboons.’ I think the worst was the person who told us to shut down the school because they wanted to ‘shoot’ us. That was really scary.”
The BSISSY Instagram account—alongside Badiane’s personal page—was later banned due to “child sexualization,” a claim with no relevance to the organization’s social media activity.
“It was such a hard day for me. I couldn’t do anything, I was just so sad and discouraged. I kept asking myself what we had done wrong,” Badiane said. “However […] after that, we knew the project would continue no matter what. It was just our social media that had been affected, not our connections or the work or preparation we had already done for the project.”
In an interview with The Tribune, N. Keita Christophe, assistant professor in McGill’s Department of Psychology and principal investigator of the Cultural Development Science Lab, explained that such experiences are unfortunately not uncommon among Black university students.
“It just makes me sad, you know, because it’s consistent with […] my experience recruiting for our students, consistent with a lot of things that individual students […] over the past several years have come in and talked about,” Christophe said. “It’s just another reminder that racial discrimination is still common in our society, and that trickles down all the way to our campuses.”
Christophe then emphasized the importance of institutional dedication to dismantling systemic racism and fostering a welcoming and diverse community.
“Institutions like McGill [must] continually [drive] a culture that is maximally inclusive and accepting, and […] [signal] that when people don’t act in the spirit of equity, diversity, and inclusion, that this is inconsistent with the values of the university,” Christophe said. “Continuing to invest in [affinity groups] […] signals as an institution [that] we are supportive of people creating community, and we aren’t putting up roadblocks to that.”
In a written statement to The Tribune, McGill’s Media Relations Office (MRO) highlighted the university’s ongoing efforts toward combatting anti-Black racism on campus.
“In 2020, McGill launched an Action Plan to Address Anti-Black Racism to ensure the University enters its third-century with a firm commitment to equity and inclusion,” the MRO wrote. “Every member of our campus community deserves to work and learn in a respectful, inclusive, and supportive environment. Likewise, we all share a responsibility to foster a climate that rejects hate, intolerance, and harassment.”
Following the incidents on social media, Moussio and Badiane report having received support from the McGill administration.
“Antoine-Samuel [Mauffette] Alavo, the liaison officer for Black students, reached out and asked for a meeting that will take place in the coming weeks,” they wrote. “He has already brought us a lot of support for what’s next. We’ll see over time what measures will be put in place.”
Christophe added that, beyond institutional support, allyship from both Black and non-Black students is important in combatting anti-Black racism.
“It’s one thing for people that are personally affected by unequal social structures to advocate for themselves […] but I think it’s also important for people that are even benefiting from existing structures, people with privilege in different areas, to also speak up for those that are oppressed and help them out,” Christophe said.
Moussio emphasized the solidarity McGill community members extended toward the organization following this incident.
“I never thought that my video would go viral and that we would get so much support from the McGill Black community,” Moussio wrote. “Even non-Black people have been very supportive, and we’re truly grateful that people understand that the goal is to fight against racism and sexism at McGill, and that Black girls should have the same college experience as everyone else.”
BSISSY will be hosting its next meeting on Friday, April 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the Black Student Space, Ferrier Building216.