Regina, you were at Virginia Beach in 1989 when the Greekfest riots happened. Tell us about your experience.
Interviewer: When did you start attending Greekfest?
Regina: I started attending Greekfest in 1987 while attending Winston-Salem State University. A group of us had graduated, so we were in party mode and this one had the reputation that made you want to experience it. I can say without a doubt, the event lived up to its name!
Interviewer: Why do you think it became so popular?
Regina: I believe it became so popular, because it was a black event just for us. We had heard and seen Spring Break at Ft. Lauderdale and now we had our own. We thought we were in the big league. We didn’t have to worry about watching what we said or how we said it, because we were around people that understood each other and it was all good.
Interviewer: What about it made you want to come back the next year?
Regina: After my first experience, I couldn’t wait to go back. I had the best time mixing and mingling with all of the people from up North from DC to Philly. It was the social gem that you wanted to have bragging rights about. The staying out until the early morning hours and dancing until your feet hurt made you a legend in your own right. Although we were in our twenties, it made us feel like grown-ups because we didn’t have to answer to anyone but ourselves. We tested the boundaries and set the sky as the limit for what we could do. It was great!
Interviewer: How old were you when the 1989 Greekfest riots happened?
Regina: I was 23.
Interviewer: Who were you there with?
Regina: I was with my boyfriend, Antonio Meeks, my sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) sister Karen, her boyfriend Milton, and two more couples that were friends with my boyfriend. We had rented a 3 bedroom suite on the strip so that all of us could hangout together and keep the cost down.
Interviewer: What do you remember the most about the 1989 Greekfest riots?
Regina: The thing that I remember the most was seeing a policeman chase down a guy on his horse and the boy fell to the ground with the horse almost trampling him. It was like a movie scene, because you couldn’t believe that it was real. It was scary to see so many armed policeman and National Guards. I also remember calling my mom to tell her that we were ok because it was on the news and she knew I was there.
Interviewer: What did you think was the reason for the rioting?
Regina: At the time, I felt that the reason for the riots was because of the way we were being treated. You heard talk about establishments not serving people because they said there were too many people in the place, so they would stop taking orders without warning. Also, the police were everywhere. They were walking around like we were suppose to be scared to have a good time, but we didn’t care. As long as we were not breaking the law, we had plans to have a good time and that’s what we were doing by hanging out on the strip. We had the mentality, if you don’t mess with us, we won’t mess with you, but somewhere, somebody messed up and I believe it was the police trying to use their authority to “make” us act the way they wanted us to act. They wanted well behaved children and we wanted wild parties.
Interviewer: How did Greekfest affect you mentally?
Regina: Seeing the police in riot gear marching down the middle of the street was like something out of a civil rights movie. Even though it was happening right in front of my face, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I kept thinking, it is the 80’s, stuff like this doesn’t happen anymore. Mentally it made me feel like we were back in civil rights days, Whites against Blacks. I had not experienced racism up to that point, so I really couldn’t identify with it. After that weekend, I knew what it looked liked and it wasn’t a good feeling. Unfortunately, I would see it later but at least I was prepared to handle it.
Interviewer: When did you start attending Greekfest?
Regina: I started attending Greekfest in 1987 while attending Winston-Salem State University. A group of us had graduated, so we were in party mode and this one had the reputation that made you want to experience it. I can say without a doubt, the event lived up to its name!
Interviewer: Why do you think it became so popular?
Regina: I believe it became so popular, because it was a black event just for us. We had heard and seen Spring Break at Ft. Lauderdale and now we had our own. We thought we were in the big league. We didn’t have to worry about watching what we said or how we said it, because we were around people that understood each other and it was all good.
Interviewer: What about it made you want to come back the next year?
Regina: After my first experience, I couldn’t wait to go back. I had the best time mixing and mingling with all of the people from up North from DC to Philly. It was the social gem that you wanted to have bragging rights about. The staying out until the early morning hours and dancing until your feet hurt made you a legend in your own right. Although we were in our twenties, it made us feel like grown-ups because we didn’t have to answer to anyone but ourselves. We tested the boundaries and set the sky as the limit for what we could do. It was great!
Interviewer: How old were you when the 1989 Greekfest riots happened?
Regina: I was 23.
Interviewer: Who were you there with?
Regina: I was with my boyfriend, Antonio Meeks, my sorority (Alpha Kappa Alpha) sister Karen, her boyfriend Milton, and two more couples that were friends with my boyfriend. We had rented a 3 bedroom suite on the strip so that all of us could hangout together and keep the cost down.
Interviewer: What do you remember the most about the 1989 Greekfest riots?
Regina: The thing that I remember the most was seeing a policeman chase down a guy on his horse and the boy fell to the ground with the horse almost trampling him. It was like a movie scene, because you couldn’t believe that it was real. It was scary to see so many armed policeman and National Guards. I also remember calling my mom to tell her that we were ok because it was on the news and she knew I was there.
Interviewer: What did you think was the reason for the rioting?
Regina: At the time, I felt that the reason for the riots was because of the way we were being treated. You heard talk about establishments not serving people because they said there were too many people in the place, so they would stop taking orders without warning. Also, the police were everywhere. They were walking around like we were suppose to be scared to have a good time, but we didn’t care. As long as we were not breaking the law, we had plans to have a good time and that’s what we were doing by hanging out on the strip. We had the mentality, if you don’t mess with us, we won’t mess with you, but somewhere, somebody messed up and I believe it was the police trying to use their authority to “make” us act the way they wanted us to act. They wanted well behaved children and we wanted wild parties.
Interviewer: How did Greekfest affect you mentally?
Regina: Seeing the police in riot gear marching down the middle of the street was like something out of a civil rights movie. Even though it was happening right in front of my face, I couldn’t believe my eyes. I kept thinking, it is the 80’s, stuff like this doesn’t happen anymore. Mentally it made me feel like we were back in civil rights days, Whites against Blacks. I had not experienced racism up to that point, so I really couldn’t identify with it. After that weekend, I knew what it looked liked and it wasn’t a good feeling. Unfortunately, I would see it later but at least I was prepared to handle it.
After 20 years, a follow-up interview of another Greekfest attendee from the 1989 Greekfest riots describes her thoughts. |
Interview - 20 Years Later (Greekfest Impact, n.d.) |