I was embarrassed because, as a proud member of a BGLO, movies like this erase any respectful thoughts my wife had of my fraternity experience. Nuwer suggests a competitive nature may also have a role to play in a participants willingness to take part. I admit that simply pledging (or being hazed) doesnt ensure greatness. Life at an HBCU is a constant balancing act between academia, individual growth, and social life. 77 were here. It happens all the way from non-criminal prankish kind of activities, things like making them wear a childs backpack, all the way up to beatings and physical torture.. Shadow of the Tyrant. Racial power dynamics are at the heart of Hollywoods reigning box-office champ Get Out, a horror hit that not only upends genre conventions, but allegorically addresses the lingering legacy of slavery in 21st century America. 39 square miles). Read what each of them took away from Burning Sands in the interviews, below. The Witch Trials of JK Rowling makes sensible points. Could these athletes have become better from something less strenuous? After filming this, I talked to my team and I was like, Guys, we do need something a little light., I cant cry everyday, he added. Featuring stars Trevor Jackson,. Browse 678 burning sands stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. [3] It was released on March 10, 2017, by Netflix. Although the girls, parties, and respect gained are reasons for some, it's not for everyone. Instead, it's a cautionary tale about the dangers of hazing. We hold this with pride and this is why; when someone misrepresents us, we react so strongly. Burning Sands is pretty straight forward in terms of the plot, but there is a nice twist at towards the end of the film, which is probably when the movie hit its climax. [2], The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2017. It's the best representation of Black Greek life that I've seen, especially compared to Stomp The Yard, Drumline, The Quad, etc. Get this thrilling post-apocalyptic series and see what lies Across Burning Sands. This store requires javascript to be enabled for some features to work correctly. Getting the definition across is really important.. It currently holds an 87% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The first contract I ever negotiated wasnt in corporate America but via my chapter. All have different reasons for pledging but the one goal is to become part of the brotherhood. Ralph Abernathy and Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin are members). Burning Sands is an American drama movie directed by Gerard McMurray, from a screenplay by McMurray and Christine Berg, and starring Trevor Jackson, Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, and Trevante Rhodes. I was excited but nervous, McMurray said. His death wasnt a freak one-off incident. We posed the question: Have you been hazed?. They want people to see it, especially students, and think about the repercussions of hazing, McMurray said. Price: $3.99 USD. The initiation required pledges to run down the center of the bus while being punched and kicked by senior members. The term crossing the burning sands describes pledging a Greek-letter organization and crossing over from being a pledge to becoming a full member. It was a hyper-exaggerated mess. During the era of underground pledging, there continues to be a constant when it comes to lawsuits, serious injuries and deaths at the hands of the Divine Nine organizations. These events have, do, and will continue to happen. The ensuing student debate focuses on the documents authenticity, and whether or not that matters if what it conveys is true. My worry is, the people who don't know anything about BGLO's may watch this and think it's the norm and that everyone endures this type of abuse. Besides to my dad being part of Omega Psi Phi, my mom, aunts and cousins are all members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (former U.S. attorney general Loretta Lynch and tennis legend Wilma Rudolph are members). 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited. How do you feel about the way in which BGLOs and the HBCU experience were portrayed in this movie? Hazing is any action taken or any situation created intentionally that causes embarrassment, harassment or ridicule and risks emotional and/or physical harm to members of a group or team, whether new or not, regardless of the persons willingness to participate. (hazingprevention.org). The setting is a counterpart to the period when Dune's Freemen burst free from Arrakis and waged war to reshape the universe at the end . Thats just me, though. When you think about the people who viewed this movie, especially at Sundance, I assure you, it was mostly a white audience. Frank's Death. The film is an ode to brotherhood, a . Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing.Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Rihanna Will Perform Lift Me Up For The First Time At The Oscars, In Emily, Emily Bront Gets To Be A Real Girl, Breaking Down Astrologys Big Three Through Movies, Here Are The Winners Of The 2023 SAG Awards. BGLO's are a big component of the culture but not all of it. The Netflix film, Burning Sands (2017), is described online as: "Zurich Condoll (Trevor Jackson) is a student at Frederick Douglass University and is proud to be a pledge at a famous African-American fraternity. Customer SatisfactionCustomer SupportHigh End ProductsSecured Transactions. Is Burning Sands streaming? My grades were the best theyd ever been because I was disciplined throughout the whole process. LBS Sealed & Full Sets. No matter what it is, its not worth a persons life. But, these conversations will be useless if they don't bring in members from all bodies of the orgsundergraduate, graduate, and members at large. Thereare problematic hazing activities that some individuals engage in that stray far away from the meaningful traditions of respective divine nine organizations and it's definitely crucial to challenge them in order to encourage free thinking and to save lives. Dean Richardson, a Lambda Phi alumnus, holds himself out as an example of the fraternity system and extols its virtues. So, whatever they throw at me while pledging will only make me better and prepare me for the real world. The film is being directed by Gerard McMurray. Kingdoms are the main locations of the game that the player can build and manage a castle in. Trusted Your donation is protected by the In his new Netflix movie, Burning Sands, director Gerard McMurray ( Fruitvale Station) takes an unflinching look at college hazing. I think it accurately looked at some of the current obstacles we have to solving these problems: the silence of the current pledges, the blind eye some professors and admin turn for sake of "tradition" or not wanting to get too involved, current members not seeing the problem because "they went through it, so the pledge can do," students on the outside of the process feeling the need to just go with the flow even when they see their friends suffering. Find out where to watch online amongst 45+ services including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video. Two years later, two Virginia State University students Jauwan Holmes and Marvell Edmonson drowned during an initiation ritual for an unsanctioned group called Men of Honor. I couldnt help but think about the Jay Z song Get Your Mind Right Mami, in which he exclaims, Its a secret society, all we ask is trust. What are your thoughts on that?There needs to be a serious conversation had about hazing amongst BGLO and other organizations on campus. I had never seen a group of young black men who stood atop the social ladder and balanced that with excellence in academics and service to their community. He said that the film was inspired by the death of a student and that he wants to. It was amazing watching these two actors I grew up watching on TV. The city was ordered evacuated on May 3. Together, they try to draw strength from each other during the trials orchestrated by their elders, led by president Edwin (Rotimi), callous heavyweight Big Country (Christian Robinson), and smooth operator Fernander (Rhodes). And once I crossed the burning sands, it did become harder. Its the idea of tradition, that its been done for X amount of time, even if its a criminal act, even if its bizarre behaviour, its part of that group. "Burning Sands," Gerald McMurray's feature filmmaking debut, is one of the fresher entries, thanks mainly to its setting: a historically black fraternity on a historically black campus like Howard, the university where the co-writer and director got his degree. Looking at the film, I am not even sure why anyone would have wanted to join Lambda Phi, based off of how they conducted themselves on campus. What do you think the film did well?I liked the part of the film where the pledges reached out and called the older, more successful brothers. 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Gerard McMurray, the films director, has said he was inspired to make the film following the death of Robert Champion. I feel like that balances me out. Since 1969 there has been at least one death every year caused by hazing practices in the United States. Although badly burned and wounded, both 35-year-old master carpenter Billy Weston, who had built Taliesin, and landscape gardener David Lindblom managed to escape with Fritz. Yes. Michael Walker (2016): Died of alcohol poisoning. Replace art with better scans where needed. As an African-American, becoming part of a historically black fraternity or sorority means more than joining an organization to party and network. Netflix drama Burning Sands which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival takes a critical look at the physical and mental effects that hazing has on participants. It was predicted it would take decades to extinguish them. Only ten per cent believed they had taken part in the practice, but the number who went through drinking, sexual simulation, beatings, forced shoplifting, was over 50 per cent. In order to be a part of BGLO, there are academic requirements that must be met, meaning while there is a possibility your grades could slip during the pledging phase, there is still a large portion of your focus that must remain dedicated to your education. I learned to push my mind, body and soul to limits that I didnt think were possible. When Reggie Lee joins defense contractor Frontierza, the company's work on advanced hibernation technology for sleeper colony ships seems the perfect career starter. At Alfred University, after a studentwas beaten and after a pledge died of alcohol poisoning, they banned the entire Greek system, but they still have hazing in the football team and a guy nearly died following the ban. I would add the consequences. All rights reserved. Hank Nuwers new book Destroying Young Lives: Hazing in Schools and the Militaryis availablenow. This time around, Sands, a human rights lawyer, follows the trail of a big fish who was never caught: Otto Wchter, a high-ranking Nazi . I can go from the boardroom to happy hour without changing. When Samuel Mason died at Radford University, the price for sixpeople who gave him enough alcohol to put him to death was a $1,000 dollar fine each. In January, the University of Oregon strength coach was suspended after pushing three players too hard, thus forcing them to be hospitalized. FRANK SANDS OBITUARY Sands Sr., Frank Melville Age 82 Frank Melville Sands Sr, 82 years old, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on March 18, 2021. The social and networking component of black Greek life is quite amazing due to the global reach of the Divine Nine. However, for those of us who don't operate on that level, we must begin to question our own actions and if we are truly embodying what our founders created these fraternities and sororities for in the first place. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2017, before being released on March 10, 2017, by Netflix. Burning Sands is a 2017 American drama film, directed by Gerard McMurray, from a screenplay by McMurray and Christine Berg. Even when its plot trajectory seems more than a bit predictable, McMurrays film proves a shrewd snapshot of fraternity life that, encapsulated by a scene in which Rhodes Fernander is branded on the stomach by his brothers and reacts by jumping around with his friends in both agony and ecstasy, understands that frat life can beget both pleasure and pain, often in the same moment. The movie Burning Sands is about a fraternity hazing gone wrong. According to hazing expert Hank Nuwer, there has been at least one death every year from 1969 to 2016 as a result of hazing, initiation and pledging-related accidents. During the movie, two Frederick Douglass quotes are repeated: Its easier to build strong children than to repair broken men, and, If there is no struggle, there is no progress. These quotes are on opposite ends of the spectrum, yet still meet at a crossroads, showing the dichotomy of black Greek life. This is something I want to work at and I have a lot of work to do. McMurrays film isnt nearly as stylized as Neels, taking a more straightforward aesthetic approach to its material. It would have helped give balance to the film. The pledges in the film were hazed, appeared to have been taught nothing during their process, and seemed to have shallow reasons for wanting to join in the first place. When the pledges were talking about their reasoning for wanting to join the fraternity. We have members of Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi, too. Theres a kind of effect where because you have endured this the next guy is certainly going to endure it, which is another reason why it doesnt stop theres always this need to do it at least one more time.. To me, it was very one-dimensional and flat in depicting what it is like to actually be pledging at an HBCU. Perhaps most disturbingly, Nuwer suggests that participants are willing to go through the suffering as they know they too will be able to inflict the punishments a few months later. Its the honor, distinction and dignity that have been traditions for thousands of mostly college-educated African-American women and men since 1906, when the first black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha (Martin Luther King Jr. and Stuart Scott were members) was founded. The first chapter, The Chef, features an individual who needs your help for a variety of unusual tasks. Thedirector, in making of the film, wanted to start a conversation about a call to action to stop hazing. Fits Perfect. Because two Virginia State University students died while being hazed four years ago, administrators were all too happy to have McMurray use the schools campus for the movie. Praneet Karki (2015): Died of exertion during extreme. . The 19-year-old had been forcedto take part in an 18-mile hike through the mountainous terrain North-East of Los Angeles, without footwear or an adequate water supply. Aaron Paxton Arnold is a keynote speaker, national media contributor and founder of MusicIsMyBusiness. Like HBCUs, black fraternities and sororities were created out of necessity to serve and protect African-American communities. Who wants to see someone else walk in and enjoy the fruits of something you sacrificed for and worked tirelessly to help create and/or sustain? Most took plea deals. Powerful Send help right to the people and causes you care about. How do you feel about the way in which Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) and the HBCU experience were portrayed in this movie?I believe BGLOs and the HBCU experience was portrayed as very superficial. It was triggering. When asked, Were you hazed? my answer was simply, No, I just pledged hazing is illegal. Even as I write this, I choose my words carefully. While pledging, I was never disrespected. Drama Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Demaris Webster, DePaul University '12, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. As a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization, were you personally offended at any point during the film? How do we break these cycles? Karki was taking part in a fraternities bonding night. You dont see it on the news or social media and I feel like its a dope thing. Like records, traditions are meant to be broken, especially when it involves violence that can lead to serious injury and death. Lauren Babb, American University '14, former member of Delta Sigma Theta. Unconscious bias is real folks. Anything else?A lot of Greeks are upset about the movie being made, but I applaud the director. It showed the large professional network and the dynamic of those relationships but I still wish some of that was reflected in some of the guys on campus. Anything else?As people of color, we are all unique and multifaceted in so many ways. Waking to a new world could be his death. They are lawyers, doctors, pro athletes, mayors, politicians, engineers, entrepreneurs, coders and journalists, to name a few. Upholding the illustrious principles of BGLO's doesn't just start after a person becomes a member. But the one goal is to become part of the game that the film is an ode to brotherhood a. Crossed the burning Sands, it & # x27 ; s a cautionary tale the! 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