Andrew Connors, a UVa undergraduate and the new director of communications for the Individual Rights Coalition, has an entry today on the IRC blog accusing M. Rick Turner, the Dean of African-American Affairs at UVa, of violating the University’s non-discrimination policy (and possibly even state and federal law) by hosting an event that only black males were allowed to attend.
UVa’s non-discrimination policy is quite clear:
The University does not discriminate in any of its programs, procedures, or practices against any person on the basis of age, citizenship, color, disability, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era.
Actually, that sentence, the first of two, is quite clear. The second and last sentence — “The University is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action employer” — isn’t, since it’s not clear what “affirmative action” means in a context where making distinctions on the basis of race, etc., has been ruled out. But I’ve discussed that tension elsewhere (here and here).
Connors links to a letter in the Cavalier Daily (scroll down to Feb. 17) by third year student Jake Guzman, who writes that
I was at Dean Turner’s discussion, and was asked to leave for the simple reason that I am not a black male. Not only did I feel humiliated and embarrassed in front of my peers, but I also felt as if people made an assumption about who I was based on the color of my skin. I made more of an effort to attend this event than over 75 percent of the African-American males at U.Va. I am not a spy; I am simply an individual who wishes to take the time and effort to understand a community at U.Va. in an attempt to further the philosophy of a diverse education. To exclude someone based on the color of his skin in this day, at this university, is unacceptable. Furthermore, to assume that because I look white I cannot share any common characteristics, experiences or ideas with someone who looks black is absurd. I would like to see more open discourse within the community. I would like to see more inclusive conversations to help fight the racial problems, which have become all too common, rather than exclusive conversations where people are made to feel inadequate, unappreciated and unwelcome because of the way they look.
“Diversity,” in practice, often doesn’t look very diverse.
Far fetched opinion. There are many times a certain group of people want to congregate with others, who are the same without being discriminatory. If you’re poor try joining a country club. You can’t because you ain’t rich. Try attending a Baptist Church as a non Baptist. If you’re not a Baptist, what are you doing there except for bothering people? Lighten up on the discrimination this and that.
This would be a valid point if the event had been hosted by a private institution, but it was not. The OAAA and the University Virginia act as agents of the state and are therefore bound by the US and Virginia Constitutions, as well as their very own policy on the matter.
If you’re poor try joining a country club. You can’t because you ain’t rich. Try attending a Baptist Church as a non Baptist.
The difference is that, unlike UVa, neither of those places have policies specfically prohibiting discrimination (nor, if asked, would they deny that they discriminate on those bases). It’s the hypocricy/double standard, not the simple fact of “discrimination,” that John’s highlighting.
Lighten up on the discrimination this and that.
You know, I think that’s exactly what white southerners said in the 1950s.
Dear Ricky:
The world is full of strange coincidences. I have been attending a Baptist church, and not only that, a black Baptist church, for the past year, as I’ve attempted to decide whether I want to join the congregation.
The pastor and the congregation have been quite friendly. They have offered my wife and I membership in the congregation, if that’s what we want.
The issue that has been holding us up is that my wife and I were both baptized as children in other religions. We still don’t know whether we are willing to be baptized again, and that is a sticking point.
Amazingly, race has never been a factor, although I am white and my wife is Filipino. Yes, people do have the right to free association. I guess the Baptists would have, and would want to exercise, the right to exclude those who tried to enter the congregation and force that congregation to change its religious doctrines, but hey… that’s precisely what gay activists are trying to do here in New York City.
It’s always the details that bedevil us, isn’t it.
If you’re poor, you can’t join a Country Club because you can’t pay the dues, on top of not being socially accepted. My co-op rejects sales applications not because of their race, age, religion or whatnot — but when people can’t be reasonably expected to pay the maintenance — in that, we, like others in the real estate biz, discriminate against those with bad credit and little wealth.
More to the point, many Christian denominations expect outsiders to attend their services. I’ve been to Episcopalian, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, and Presbytyrian services, though I’m Roman Catholic. I went to LBGT meetings in college, though I’m straight. People didn’t make a big deal about it, and were actually pleased to see that outsiders were interested in them.
I must admit, excluding someone because of their race is wrong, and it happens everywhere.But what are you going to do about it your just one person, and you can’t make a difference.
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Low Mortgage Rates
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