'Stomp' divides black Greeks

CHICAGO - When Stan Fleming thinks about Alpha Phi Alpha, community service, not stepping, comes to mind.

Fleming, a member of the African American fraternity, worries that a new movie plays down the civic deeds of black Greek life while playing up its most visible aspect: the syncopated stomps and claps known as stepping.

"My main fear is that people who don't know anything about black fraternities and sororities will think that all that we're about is putting on step shows," said Fleming, of Des Moines, Iowa. "For me, being an Alpha means being a role model."

Even before its nationwide release last week, Stomp the Yard, the first Hollywood depiction of black Greeks since Spike Lee's School Daze, has stirred debate among the 1.5 million members of the country's nine black Greek organizations.

(The film racked up $26.4 million in just 2,000 theaters, leading last weekend's box office receipts, besting Night at the Museum, The Pursuit of Happyness, and Dreamgirls.)

Most African American fraternities were founded during the early 20th century when lynching and Jim Crow segregation stalled the social and political advancement of African Americans. And over the years, the organizations have nurtured a who's who of black America - from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson, to Rosa Parks and Mary McLeod Bethune.

A few black Greeks have called for a boycott of the film, arguing that it mocks the rich histories of the organizations by portraying them as glorified dance groups. But many support the film because of its positive portrayal of black collegians and, in part, because its producers are black Greeks.

The film's plot centers on a rebellious college student who introduces street dancing into his fraternity's step show - highly choreographed performances of rhythmic dance steps in unison.

In 1906, a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the "separate but equal" doctrine, a tiny group of black men at Cornell University created Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. to uplift one another.

Eight similar groups followed: Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Zeta Phi Beta sorority, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, and Iota Phi Theta fraternity.

Some scholars note that stepping wasn't associated with black Greeks until about 1970, well after members made headlines for their leadership and service during the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, and the civil rights movement.

Controversy began in November, when Alpha Phi Alpha denounced the film and threatened legal action against Sony Pictures for the unauthorized use of trademarked symbols.

The dispute was settled after symbols of black Greek organizations were deleted and Sony donated money to the King memorial under construction on the National Mall in Washington.