A PROFESSOR AT THE
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS WAS FORCED
TO RESIGN AFTER A NUMBER OF STUDENTS DID NOT LIKE THE
WAY SHE TALKED ABOUT HER OWN WHITE PRIVILEGE, WHILE
USING THE N-WORD.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE STUDENTS FELT THAT SHE WAS BEING RACIALLY
INSENSITIVE, EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS DISCUSSING HER OWN FLAWS AND HER
OWN LIMITATIONS WHEN IT COMES TO TALKING ABOUT RACE RELATIONS.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE DETAILS, THEY ARE HAVING A DISCUSSION
ABOUT RACE RELATIONS, ABOUT WHITE PRIVILEGE, AND THIS
PROFESSOR SAYS THAT THERE ARE THINGS SHE HASN'T GONE THROUGH
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH.
SHE HASN'T HAD TO EXPERIENCE THE N-WORD, BUT SHE ACTUALLY
SAID IT.
SOME STUDENTS TOOK OFFENSE TO THE FACT THAT SHE USED THAT
WORD, EVEN IN A CONTEXT.
THEY PUT OUT A LETTER SAYING THEY WOULD LIKE HER TO RESIGN.
THE LETTER SAID, "WE STUDENTS IN THE CLASS BEGAN DISCUSSING
POSSIBLE WAYS TO BRING THESE
ISSUES UP IN OUR CLASSES, WHEN COMS930 INSTRUCTOR DOCTOR ANDREA
QUENETTE INTERRUPTED WITH DISTURBING REMARKS.
THOSE INCLUDED HER ADMITTED LACK OF KNOWLEDGE WITH HOW TO
TALK ABOUT RACISM WITH HER STUDENTS BECAUSE SHE IS WHITE.
AS A WHITE WOMAN I JUST NEVER HAVE SEEN THE RACISM.
IF STOMACH I SEE NIGGER SPRAY PAINTED ON WALLS, SHE SAID."
THAT IS WHY IT ANGERED THEM, AND WHY THEY WANT HER TO STEP DOWN.
I'M ENRAGED THAT THE ADMINISTRATION SEEMS TO BE
STANDING BEHIND THE STUDENTS, WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT
CONTEXT MEANS, AND WANTS TO HINDER DIALOGUE IT NEEDS TO
HAPPEN ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES.
IF YOU SHUT THAT DOWN, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE THE
CONVERSATION THAT WILL MAKE THINGS BETTER?
I CAN HANDLE IT AT THIS POINT.
COLLEGE IS SUPPOSED TO BE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE WE ALL
LEARN TOGETHER, CHALLENGE EACH OTHER AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS.
ON THE OTHER HAND, WE ARE THE ONES WHO DEFEND THE UNIVERSITY
OF MISSOURI STUDENTS, SO LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CONTEXT OF EACH.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, THE N-WORD WAS BEING USED
AGAINST, AND HURLED AGAINST
BLACK STUDENTS.
I BELIEVE THEY WERE NOT COMING FROM OUT OF CAMPUS AND
SAYING THAT, GUYS IN PICKUPS, ETC.,
AND THE STUDENTS WERE JUSTIFIED IN SAYING, HOW CAN WE
PREVENT THIS?
THIS IS NOT A THEORETICAL EXERCISE, THIS IS ACTUALLY
SOMEONE CALLING ME THE N-WORD.
IN A LOT OF PLACES AND TIMES, THEY ACTUALLY LITERALLY DID
NOT FEEL SAFE.
YOU MAY NOT FEEL SAFE IF I A BUNCH OF GUYS IN A PICKUP
TRUCK ARE DRIVING BY AND YELLING THAT THAT YOU.
IN THAT CASE, THE ORGANIZATION DID NOT TAKE IT SERIOUSLY
ENOUGH, AND THERE WERE PROTESTS.
THEY WERE ON THE STUDENT SIDE BECAUSE ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS
YOU NEED TO BE PHYSICALLY SAFE, AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE
HARASSED LIKE THAT, AND IT SHOULD BE TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY.
ON THE OTHER HAND, HERE IN THE CLASSROOM YOU ARE HAVING A
DISCUSSION.
SHE IS NOT AGAINST YOU, SHE DID NOT USE THE WORD AT ANYONE,
IN FACT SHE IS TRYING TO EMPATHIZE.
DON'T TAKE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO EMPATHIZE AND FIRE THEM,
BECAUSE THEN PEOPLE WILL STOP TRYING TO EMPATHIZE, AMONG MANY
OTHER PROBLEMS YOU HAVE CREATED
BY SHUTTING DOWN SPEECH.
IF YOU ARE A STUDENT WHO WAS IN COLLEGE RIGHT NOW, AND YOU
NEED TO SAFE SPACES, AND YOU NEED TO HOLD CONVERSATIONS THAT
MAKE YOU FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD LEAVE
THAT COLLEGE CAMPUS AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, BECAUSE
YOU DON'T DESERVE AN EDUCATION.
EDUCATION MEANS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE CHALLENGED, IT
MEANS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE CHALLENGED TO THINK CRITICALLY.
IT MEANS THAT YOU WILL BE OFFENDED BY SOMEONE IDEAS.
IF YOU CANNOT RELY ON PROFESSORS TO EDUCATE YOU, AND YOU ARE
GOING TO TELL A PROFESSOR HOW YOU ARE GOING TO EDUCATE
THEM, YOU ARE IN THE WRONG ENVIRONMENT.
IF ONE OF MY STUDENTS CAME TO ME AND SAID, I DON'T WANT TO
TALK ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR POLITICAL ISSUE BECAUSE IT
MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE, WELL THEN I HAVE NO INTEREST IN
TEACHING YOU, GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CLASSROOM.
AND IF THE ORGANIZATION IS NOT GOING TO STAND BY ME, I
HAVE NO INTEREST IN TEACHING AT THAT INSTITUTION.
IT IS THAT SIMPLE, I WANT TO TEACH.
WHERE CODDLING STUDENTS RIGHT NOW.
IN THIS CASE, BOTH SIDES DO DO IT.
I REMEMBER THERE WERE REPUBLICANS MAD THAT THERE WERE
LIBERAL POLITICAL SCIENTISTS,
AND THEY WOULD GIVE THEM FACTS ABOUT POLITICIANS.
I WAS A REPUBLICAN, BUT I SAID LET'S LISTEN AND CONSIDER
IF IT IS TRUE OR UNTRUE.
IF HE HAS AN OPINION ABOUT RONALD REAGAN, THAT IS DIFFERENT
IF HE HAS FACTS.
THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER PROFESSOR WHO WORKED FOR NIXON, AND HE
WAS DEEPLY REPUBLICAN, AND THEY DID NOT WANT TO HEAR FROM THEM.
I WAS CRAZY, I TOOK BOTH CLASSES, BECAUSE I ACTUALLY
WANTED TO GET AN EDUCATION AND HEAR THE TWO DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES.
AND YES, THE LIBERAL PROFESSOR WAS LIBERAL, AND THE
CONSERVATIVE PROFESSOR WAS CONSERVATIVE.
OKAY, SO WHAT'S?
MY BRAIN DID NOT EXPLODE.
I DID NOT BECOME UNSAFE BY LISTENING TO THE NIXON
PROFESSOR, OR THE ANTI-REAGAN PROFESSOR.
I MIGHT HAVE EVEN OPENED MY MIND.
IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE A CRITICAL THINKER, AND
INTERESTED IN BEING EDUCATED,
WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY AN INTELLIGENT PERSON.
YOU HEAR SOMETHING, IT PROVOKES AN EMOTION, WHAT DO YOU DO?
YOU DELVE DEEPER, AND FIGURE OUT WHAT THE TRUTH IS.
NOT EVERY PROFESSOR SAID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY.
WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS, SOMETIMES WE MAKE MISTAKES, BUT IF
SOMEONE IS CHALLENGING YOU IN SOME WAY, YOU SHOULD USE
THAT AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHALLENGE YOURSELF FURTHER.
LOOK DEEPER INTO THE ISSUE, DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
YOU LEARN A LOT MORE THAT WAY.
YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LEARN BY SITTING IN A CLASSROOM WHEN
SOMEBODY IS CONSTANTLY TELLING YOU WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR.