Justice For Caleb Wilson
Hazing violence has claimed yet another life.
On Feb. 27, 2025, Caleb Wilson, a 20-year-old student at Southern University and a member of the 'Human Jukebox' Marching Band, tragically passed away after participating in an off-campus fraternity ritual with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
According to sources who spoke with WAFB’s I-TEAM, the original account of Caleb Wilson collapsing at a Baton Rouge park was fabricated, and he was actually at a warehouse participating in an unsanctioned Omega Psi Phi fraternity ritual. During the ritual, pledges were allegedly struck in the chest, and Wilson collapsed and began having a seizure after being hit.
But why is this still happening?
For at least a century, hazing has plagued the Black community. Reports from Howard University as early as 1925 speak on “hell week” traditions, where students were pushed to ‘sheer exhaustion’ (Invictus, Paul Ruffins).
100 years later history’s past still haunts us. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. Black Greek Letter Organizations were built on the pillars of camaraderie and Black excellence, not as rites of suffering masked as “tradition.”
The task for us young Black adults is clear: to reckon with these harmful practices, to name them for what they are, and to refuse the lie that community must be forged in pain, understanding that community should never come at the expense of someone's life.
It’s Time to end hazing
Caleb was known for his passion, talent, and dedication to his studies and music. Let’s honor his legacy by making sure future students don’t face the same risks.
As a community, we have to do better. Staying silent isn’t gonna cut it. Check-in on your friends who are pledging, expose chapters that haze, and demand change from Universities—because no student should ever have to risk their life to belong.
By advocating for change, we can create a future where other Black students can celebrate community without fear of harm.
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