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Media Watch
Boston
Globe Helps Jesse Jackson and the Quota System
Wants
to Strong-Arm Harvard Into Continuing Quotas
January 4, 2002
When
the Globe leaped to publicize the efforts of Jesse Jackson this
week, it was easy to understand why Jackson is a “national leader”
even though most black people strongly disagree with his views.
The
white, liberal owners of the Boston Globe are the ones who have
made him a “national leader.” If they hadn’t given Jackson this
tremendous press coverage, everyone would have rolled over and gone
back to sleep.
Although
every poll shows that black people do not want special favors in
getting ahead, the Boston Globe used Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
this week to strong-arm Harvard into accepting the quota system.
Jackson
arrived in person this week and the Globe gave him large amounts
of coverage.
The
brouhaha began, according to the Globe, last summer when the new
president of Harvard, Lawrence H. Summers, “declined to make a strong
statement in support of affirmative action at a meeting” with members
of the Afro-American studies department.
The
Globe reported the unhappiness of the black faculty on their front
page with a big picture just before Christmas and the following
headline, “Harvard ‘Dream Team’ roiled.”
The
“Dream Team” was a group of black professors who had been recruited
since 1991 after Prof. Henry Louis Gates was hired to start a department
of Afro-American studies. The Globe reported that some of the group
were threatening to leave Harvard and go to Princeton.
Although
the term “affirmative action” was used by the Globe, most understand
this to be merely a euphuism for quotas.
Jackson
Arrives
Jesse
Jackson got front-page coverage in the City & Region section
on Monday of this week with a long story under the headline,
“Jackson steps into Harvard dispute.” Almost everything in the
story was merely a repeat of what had been said in the earlier article.
On
Wednesday, another story appeared on the front page of City &
Region with this headline, “2 black leaders confront Harvard.”
It reported that Jackson had arrived in Cambridge and Al Sharpton
had told the Globe in a phone interview that he was considering
a lawsuit against the school.
The
Globe reported in its first article that, “Summers [had] rebuked
[Prof. Cornel] West for recording a rap CD, for leading a political
committee for the Rev. Al Sharpton’s possible presidential campaign,
and for writing books more likely to be reviewed in the New York
Times than in academic journals. He also reportedly criticized West
for allowing grade inflation in his introductory course on black
studies.”
The
Globe told us that West’s course was one of the most popular on
campus. But it did not link the fact that one of the reasons for
its popularity was that everyone was apparently given a high grade.
It also did not link the fact that one of the reasons for the professors’
desire to keep “affirmative action” is because the professors need
to attract a lot of students for their other courses on Afro-American
studies.
In
addition, the Globe reported that law professor Charles Ogletree
represents Prof. West. He is the professor who is masterminding
a lawsuit with other trial lawyers for “reparations” for all black
people. He told the Globe that “he is willing to work with Summers
to ‘make Harvard a preeminent university.”
Jesse
Jackson told the Globe he will try to use the incident to pressure
Harvard into convening a “national conference on racial justice
and affirmative action.”
Boston
Herald Reports Globe Was Successful
The
Boston Herald reported yesterday that the NY Times/Globe was apparently
successful in its power play.
Under
a headline, “Harvard president 'vigorously' working to keep black
faculty,” it reported that President Summer said he would “work
‘vigorously’ to retain the prestigious teaching staff.”
It
continued, “In a statement, Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers
pledged his support to all the department's faculty, after New Year's
Day speeches by the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton blasting
the university's treatment of professors Cornel West, Henry Louis
Gates Jr. and Anthony Appiah.”
The
Herald quoted the President, “With regard to the Afro-American Studies
program at Harvard, we are proud of this program collectively and
of each of its individual members. We would very much like to see
the current faculty stay at Harvard and will compete vigorously
to make this an attractive environment.”
The
paper also reported: “Summers also addressed the university's, and
his own, commitment to affirmative action, which Jackson and Sharpton
questioned.
“‘I
take pride in Harvard's longstanding commitment to diversity,’ he
said, citing statistics showing minorities comprising 23.5 percent
of the university's 17,061 faculty members and 42 percent of the
student body of 18,918. I believe it is essential for us to maintain
that commitment, working to create an evermore open and inclusive
environment that draws on the widest possible range of talents.’”
Observers
say that everyone would agree with that statement. The only question
will all applicants be treated equally or will they be picked by
the color of their skin as Jesse Jackson and the professors desire?
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