MLK Symposium Anti-Conservative

by Benjamin Kepple

It doesn't take that much for someone to realize where they are not wanted, which is why most conservative students enjoyed a three day weekend rather than attend any of the self-righteous programs offered at this year's Martin Luther King Day Symposium. Indeed, now more than ever, the University has twisted Martin Luther King Day into an ideological construct solely created to serve its political ends.

For a true "dialogue" on race, the mantra that screams forth from the University's lips at every conceivably opportunity when race is mentioned, one would expect to see the likes of prominent black conservatives along with the legions of black liberals present. Sadly, none of these eminent men and women were invited to this year's Symposium. One wonders where the likes of Shelby Steele, Walter Williams, Thomas Sowell, Alan Keyes, Ward Connerly, J.C. Watts, Gary Frank, and other prominent and distinguished conservative blacks are; people who could truly present a viewpoint dissimilar from those of this year's invited guests. It would be fascinating, for example, to see Connerly and Sowell square off against prominent MLK day speakers such as Cornel West and Clarence Page about almost any topic, but especially those dealing with race relations.

However, that would be presenting an alternative point of view, something that the organizers of the Symposium and the University Administration detest and fear. These alternative, i.e. right of center, views are convieniently excluded from the public eye in a so-called symposium. What a symposium! The mere concept of a symposium implies that there is a possibility for rational discourse, for dissent, for thought! Instead, this sham of an event will be an exercise in groupthink, where invited guests and University fascisti-in-training alike preach to the choir.

The events offered this year are truly sick when you consider that the original intent of Martin Luther King's message was equality for all people, with hostility towards none. This, I can assure you, will not occur in any of the MLK Day events. Instead, the events will be used to focus the hostilities of the Administration and some students against the current lawsuits facing the University, affirmative action opponents, and anyone who has the audacity to step out of line with the Views Currently In Favor With The Administration.

The views of the Administration are made perfectly clear in this friendly open letter by Associate Provost for Academic and Multicultural Affairs Lester P. Monts.

"Since our last observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday, we have witnessed setbacks to higher educations's goal to provide quality educational opportunities for all people. Hopwood, Proposition 209, and the University of California Board of Regents' decision on affirmative action have become topics in our daily conversations. Now, the University of Michigan is faced with a lawsuit that has the potential to impede not only progress toward educational equality, but to turn us back to a resegregated educational system nationwide.

"As new technology, changing demographics, and challenges of the new millenium bring the peoples of our nation and world closer, anti-diversity forces stand to forestall the benefits of these new relationships. The opponents of affirmative action and multiculturalism in higher education espouse short-term remedies for age-old problems; they fail to recognize our nation's history and social conditions that continue to deny equal educational opportunities for many Americans."

What preening arrogance! What philistine ignorance!

It is a shock Monts is so direct, in a way, given that most University officials are rather evasive in talking about anything. In a way, however, it is striking. Falling back on all fronts, suffering defeat after crushing defeat, the generals try desperately to rally their troops with all the propaganda they can muster. Anti-diversity forces, indeed. The opponents of affirmative action are coming! as if it is a story told to frighten children.

Monts' divine wisdom is apparently passed on to the 1998 MLK Symposium Planning Committee. In keeping with the theme of this year's MLK Symposium, "Why We Can't Wait," this groups proclaims in a list of "goals":

"We can't wait while the dream is undermined by lawsuits that would result in a return to segregationism."

"We can't wait until another court decides to support affirmative action and truly equal opportunity."

And of course, the indirect use of the

reductio ad Hitlerum:

"We can't wait for more swastikas to be drawn in our residence halls."

The message is muddled, but the picture drawn is clear: Affirmative action opponents = anti-diversity forces = segregationists = bona fide Nazi hatemongers. How cruel, how spiteful is it, for someone to use the incidence of a genuine hate act to brand one's ideological opponents as swastika-drawing, anti-diversity Hitler youth. What cold, calculating, person would do that?

These people did, and they invested a great deal of time and energy into thinking up such an argument. After all, such strong comparisons are bound to have their opponents thought of by some in a very negative light. Fewer people will speak out that way. Fewer people will disagree.

What a tangled web they weave. It's almost Orwellian, in a way.

But let us look at some of the invited guests this pipsqueak group apparently had a hand in inviting to this year's Symposium. Let us examine the programs they support.

13 January. Palante, Siempre Palante! The Story of the Young Lords Party.

Sponsors: Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League and the Maoist International Movement.

Documentary "explains the history of the Puerto Rican people's struggle for equality, as well as the development of activism in the United States to promote equality for Puerto Ricans." (In other words, this documentary explores the history of Puerto Rican nationalist terrorist groups that have single-digit, if that, support of the population. No mention, of course, will be noted regarding the fact these die-hard revolutionaries caused numerous hardship and suffering to other Puerto Ricans.)

15 January. Diversity and Medical School Admissions: Why We Can't Wait.

Sponsors: U-M Medical School, Pre-Med Club, Black Pre-Med Club, Office of Admissions, Office of New Student Programs

"[The speakers] will speak to the need for a diverse physician population to serve a diverse patient population..." (Or, why we should continue affirmative action in admissions for Med school. )

17 January. Combating the Radical Right.

Sponsors: Free Mumia Coalition, Anti Racist Action

"The rise of the far right threatens to roll back gains made by people of color, women, lesbians, and gays. We will discuss what this means for the political climate in the U.S. and effective ways of deterring the growth of the far right." (No comment necessary with regards to bias.)

17 January. SYMPOSIUM LECTURE, JOHN TRUDELL.

Sponsors: Native American Student Assn., MLK Symposium Planning Cmte.

"... [Trudell] came to prominence as a long time activist for Native American rights and freedoms, as the national spokesperson during the Indians of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, culminating in the formation of [the] American Indian Movement (AIM) in the 1970s. He was the National Chairman of AIM, 1973-1979 ... culminating in the siege of Pine Ridge, the Occupation of Wounded Knee, the Jumping Bull Incident (two FBI agents, one Native American were killed) ..."

(Quite frankly, it's hard to have much sympathy for the leader of a group whose idea of rebellion was taking over minor U.S. government installations for no apparent reason. It is also odd that the program description decries the FBI surveillance of Trudell, given that no one ever seems to mind FBI surveillance of others attempting to do harm to the government.)

19 January. KEYNOTE LECTURER, Dr. CORNEL WEST

Sponsor: MLK Symposium Planning Cmite.

"His work ... seeks to revive the best of liberalism, populism, and democratic socialism ... Alternatively calling himself a 'prophetic pragmatist' and 'prophetic Marxst' in Race Matters, West heavily criticized middle-class blacks as 'decadent' and urged whites to 'stop ignoring the psychic pain that racism has inflicted on the urban poor' ... Dr. West has collaborated with bell hooks and Tikkun editor Michael Lerner. Dr. West is also honorary co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America ..."

(Gosh, there's no bias here, now is there? One notes that his work seeks to revive the best of liberalism, populism, and democratic socialism three movements that deserve to stay buried as a lesson to future man.)

19 January. SYMPOSIUM MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY COLLOQUIUM.

Sponsors: MLK Symposium Planning Committee, University Relations, Faculty Senate, Career Planning & Placement, Minority Affairs Commission, Office of the Executive Vice President (for what? BJK), and the Chief Financial Officer.

"The Colloquium emphasizes issues related to pro-affirmative action, health care, poverty, education, campus climate, and the lawsuit against the University of Michigan. The facilitator would guide the panelists toward providing information, demystifying assumptions, and finally creating solutions at the Colloquium's conclusion."

(THIS is going to provide a balanced look at affirmative action? It doesn't even pretend to be. It's even more embarassing when we look at some of the participants: Takaki, for example, is author of the very weak and dubious analytical work Hiroshima; you may recall it from History class. Nancy Cantor, U-M Provost and professional affirmative action apologist; Chuck D (yes), "rap artist and musician, author, and political activist" that's stretching it a bit. I don't care if he is in Public Enemy.

In all, this makes a politically correct laughingstock out of the MLK Symposium and the University, but then again, that's to be expected when a panel consists of five academics who have forgotten how things work in the real world, three administrators who blaspheme and profane the ideas of merit, responsibility, and the very ideal of education; two paid lackeys who are compensated to ensure the continuation of affirmative action, and Chuck D, who is apparently present because he can put obscenities and various racial slurs to a good beat.

They outdid themselves on this one.

20 January. FILM: All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond.

Sponsor: Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League, Maoist Internationalist Movement

"Film shows both the developments of movements aimed to create social equality and the repression these movements faced." (I believe it was David Horowitz who described the Black Panthers as street thugs.)

20 January. PANEL: Defending Affirmative Action: How to Defeat the Effort to Resegregate Higher Education

Sponsor: BAMN (Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary)

"This panel will present a perspective for defeating the effort to resegregate higher education and for building a new militant integrated civil rights movement that can eliminate racist segregation and inequality that exists in American society. Features Shanta Driver, a national organizer for BAMN and former member of the Black Panther Party; and Heather Bergman, California BAMN organizer at Berkeley."

BAMN is once again underfoot, and the University is at the very least appearing to give them sanction to bring in militants, former Black Panthers, and mindless students from other universities. One wonders how much funding was given to BAMN to put this charade on; however, it is prima facie evidence that the University is directly supporting pro-affirmative action student groups on campus.

23 January. Big Black: Lessons from Attica and Current Prisoner Struggles

Sponsors: Revolutionary Anti-Imperialist League, Maoist International Movement

Only at Michigan would the Administration consent to having a former leader of the 1971 Attica prison rebellion come to speak to students. "He will speak on contemporary struggles for racial justice and social equality," but no word yet as to whether this involves wreaking havoc.

So there you have it! A glorious and wonderful presentation of the events compromising the 11th Annual Martin Luther King Day Symposium. Now that the University has finished blaspheming his message, I'm sure they'll soon begin work on the 12th Symposium. Of course, the thought police at the University will be unable to capture the attention of most, excluding the most die-hard of Daily editorialists and campus radicals; the rest of us will be enjoying our deserved three-day weekend. Until the University gets its act together with this program, it will continue to be looked upon as a long weekend by the vast majority of students. MR.

This article was published in the 21 January 1998 edition of The Michigan Review (Volume 16, Number 6).
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