>>> TO A FOLLOW-UP TO A
CONVERSATION WE HAD ON THE SHOW
LAST WEEK AROUND THE MOVE TAKEN
BY HOWARD UNIVERSITY TO SHUT
DOWN ITS CLASSICAL STUDIES
DEPARTMENT AS PART OF, QUOTE,
PRIORITIZATION EFFORTS.
IT’S A MOVE THAT SPARKED A
"WASHINGTON POST" OP-ED
ENTITLED, HOWARD UNIVERSITY’S
REMOVAL OF CLASSICS IS A
SPIRITUAL CATASTROPHE.
THEY WROTE, ACADEMIA’S CAMPAIGN
TO DISREGARD OR NEGLECT THE
CLASSICS IS A SIGN OF SPIRITUAL
DECAY AND MORAL DECLINE AND DEEP
INTEREST
INTELLECTUAL NARROWNESS RUNNING
AMOK
AMOK.
THEY TREAT WESTERN CIVILIZATION
AS IRRELEVANT AND NOT AS WORTHY
OF PRIORITIZATION OR AS HARMFUL
AND WORTHY ONLY AS CONDEMNATION.
LAST WEEK, WE HAD JEREMY TATE ON
THE SHOW.
THIS MORNING HIS OP-ED PARTNER
IS ON.
ALSO WITH US, THE PRESIDENT OF
HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WAYNE
FREDERICK, PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY’S EDDIE GLAUDE IS
WITH US AS WELL.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US THIS
MORNING.
READING MORE FROM CORNELL’S
PIECE, IF I COULD, TO END THIS
SPIRITUAL CATASTROPHE, WE MUST
RESTORE TRUE EDUCATION,
MOBILIZING ALL OF THE
INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL RESOURCES
WE CAN TO CREATE HUMAN BEINGS OF
COURAGE AND VISION AND CIVIC
VIRTUE.
THIS CLASSICAL APPROACH IS
UNITED TO THE BLACK EXPERIENCE.
IT RECOGNIZES THAT THE END AND
AIM OF EDUCATION IS REALLY THE
ANTHEM OF BLACK PEOPLE WHICH IS
TO LIFT EVERY VOICE.
THAT MEANS TO FIND YOUR VOICE,
NOT AN ECHO OR AN IMITATION OF
OTHERS.
BUT YOU CAN’T FIND YOUR VOICE
WITHOUT BEING GROUNDED IN
TRADITION, GROUNDED IN LEGACIES,
GROUNDED IN HERITAGES, ENGAGING
WITH THE CLASSICS AND WITH OUR
CIVILIZATIONAL HERITAGE IS THE
MEANS TO FINDING OUR TRUE VOICE.
IT’S HOW WE BECOME OUR FULL
SELVES, SPIRITUALLY FREE AND
MORALLY GREAT.
>> CORNELL, IT’S ALWAYS GREAT TO
HAVE YOU HERE.
I’M SORRY WE BLINDSIDED YOU WITH
EDDIE GLAUDE.
WE WILL MAKE SURE EDDIE IS
RESPECTFUL.
FOR THOSE WATCHING, THEY HAVE
BEEN FRIENDS FOR SO LONG.
CORNELL, WHEN I FIRST READ THIS,
I HAD TO STOP AND LOOK.
IS THIS HAROLD BLOOM OR CORNELL
WEST?
HAROLD WAS WRITING ABOUT THE
CANCELLING OF SHAKESPEARE IN
1994.
TALK ABOUT WHY YOU WROTE WHAT
YOU WROTE AND WHY YOU FEEL IT IS
SO IMPORTANT TO KEEP CLASSICS,
ESPECIALLY IN TRADITIONALLY
BLACK UNIVERSITIES.
>> YOU KNOW, BROTHER JOE AND MY
DEAR BROTHER, MY MOTHER PASSED.
MY MOTHER WAS A CLASSIC.
SHE BELIEVED IN THE QUEST FOR
TRUTH, BEAUTY, GOODNESS AND THE
HOLY.
THE CONDITION OF TRUTH ALLOWS SUFFERING TO SPEAK.
SUFFERING TO SPEAK.
BEAUTY HAS TO DO WITH ELEGANCE.
HOWARD UNIVERSITY, OF COURSE, IS
ONE OF THE GREAT INSTITUTIONS
THAT HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THAT
QUEST.
AFTER TALKING TO THE GREAT LARRY
MORRIS, HEAD OF THE BOARD AND
TALKING TO BROTHER FREDERICK, I
CAN SEE HOW WE ARE INVOLVED IN
THIS COMMON QUEST BUT WE ARE
TRYING TO ENSURE THE STUDENTS
ARE ABLE TO BE FIND THEIR
VOICES.
I’M SO GLAD TO HAVE PRESIDENT
FREDERICK HERE ON THE SHOW.
>> PRESIDENT FREDERICK, TELL US
ABOUT THE DECISION WHICH
OBVIOUSLY DREW CRITICISM AND HOW
YOU ARE RESTRUCTURING THE STUDY
OF THE CLASSICS AT YOUR
UNIVERSITY.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
I WOULD LIKE TO SAY, PROFESSOR
WEST, I SEND MY CONDOLENCES FOR
YOUR LOSS.
WE STARTED BACK IN 2009 WITH A
PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION AND
ACADEMIC RENEWAL.
I WASN’T A PART OF THAT.
MY PREDECESSOR WAS.
IT WAS TO LOOK AT HOW WE LOOK AT
OUR ACADEMIC OFFERINGS, THE
QUALITY OF THEM, LOOKING AT THE
NUMBERS OF STUDENTS INVOLVED AND
LOOKING IN WAYS THAT WE CAN CON
CONTEMPORARYCON
TEMSTIMONY -- CONTEMPORIZE IT.
WE BELIEVE THE CLASSICS ARE
IMPORTANT.
AS A FOUNDATIONAL STUDY.
JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WE BELIEVE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN STUDIES IS TO
THE BLACK STUDENTS TODAY.
THE LAST THING I WOULD SAY IS WE
ARE FOCUSED ON CONTEMORIZING THE
EXPERIENCE AND TAKE THE CLASSICS AND APPLY IT.
AND APPLY IT.
WE CAN TEACH THEM BUT THEY HAVE
TO BE ABLE TO TRANSFER THAT
SKILL SET.
WHAT I THINK WE HAVE BEEN DOING
AT HOWARD AND DOING SUCCESSFULLY
IS NOT ASKING STUDENTS SO MUCH
ABOUT THEIR MAJOR BUT ASKING
THEM MORE ABOUT THEIR MISSION
AND TRYING TO GIVE THEM A
CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION THAT HAS
FOUNDATIONAL ELEMENTS BUT ALSO
PROGRESSIVE ELEMENTS TO IT AS
WELL.
>> EDDIE, I WILL HAVE YOU GO.
I JUST WANTED TO STAY ANOTHER
PART OF THE OP-ED WHERE THE
SIGNIFICANCE OF CLASSIC
LITERATURE IN THE LIVES OF BLACK
FREEDOM FIGHTERS THROUGHOUT
HISTORY, CORNELL AND MR. TATE
POINT OUT THAT FREDERICK
DOUGLASS LEARNED TO READ WHILE
ENSLAVED AND STUDIED AND IN
MARTIN LUTHER KING’S LETTER FROM
JAIL, HE REFERENCED SOCRATES
THREE TIMES.
CORNELL BRINGS UP HOW THE
CLASSICS OFTEN HAVE BEEN USED IN
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENTS TO
CONNECT TO SOME ETERNAL TRUTHS
THAT NEED TO BE RECONFIRMED EVEN
IN THESE DAYS.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY.
I WANTED TO ASK MY DEAR BROTHER
CORNELL AND, OF COURSE, YOU ARE
IN MY PRAYERS AND I LIVE FOR THE
EXAMPLE OF YOUR DEAR MOTHER,
IRENE WEST, WHO WAS SUCH AN
EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN.
I WANT TO ASK YOU THIS QUESTION
ABOUT THE OP-ED.
HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THOSE WHO
READ IT AS INADVERTENTLY
SUPPORTING A PARTICULAR KIND OF
UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLE OF
CLASSICS, THAT IS TO SAY THAT
THIS IS REALLY ABOUT AN ARGUMENT
ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF WESTERN
CIV, TO THE DETRIMENT OF OTHER
SUBJECT MATTERS, THIS IS AN
ATTACK ON WESTERN CULTURE AND
THE LIKE, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO
THOSE WHO SAY THIS INADVERTENTLY
SUPPORTS THOSE MOVES WITHIN THE
CONTEXT OF THE ACADEMY ITSELF?
>> IT’S A WONDERFUL QUESTION.
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT
PEOPLE RECOGNIZE THAT
CONSERVATIVE BROTHERS AND
SISTERS HAVE NO MONOPOLY ON
TRUTH AND GOODNESS AND THE HOLY.
WE MUST CREATE COUNTERWEIGHTS
AGAINST THE RULE OF MONEY,
AGAINST THE RULE OF MEDIOCRITY,
THE RULE OF MILITARY MIGHT,
AGAINST THE RULE OF CONFORMITY
SO THAT IN THE LAST 40 YEARS,
CONSERVATIVES HAVE ACTED AS IF
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SHAKESPEARE
OR HERBERT MELVILLE, BECAUSE YOU
TALK ABOUT THE CLASSICS, THAT’S
THEIR TERRAIN.
NO.
NOT AT ALL.
YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT RALPH
ELLISON, JAMES BALDWIN.
GREATNESS IS FOUND IN EVERY
CULTURE, EVERY CULTURE.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT -- THERE’S
GREATNESS.
WE CAN TALK ABOUT -- IT CUTS
ACROSS THE BOARD.
AND IT DOES CUT ACROSS GENDER,
IDEOLOGY, SKIN COLOR.
THAT’S WHAT HOWARD UNIVERSITY
HAS HISTORICALLY STOOD FOR AT
ITS BEST.
>> PRESIDENT FREDERICK, WHAT DO
YOU SAY TO CRITICS WHO SAY THAT
THE MOVE THAT HOWARD UNIVERSITY
IS MAKING IS ALSO BAD IN THE
LONG RUN FOR BLACK STUDENTS AND
BLACK SCHOLARS BECAUSE WHEN YOU
LOOK AT THE STUDY OF THE
CLASSICS, IT’S SO DOMINATED BY
WHITE PROFESSORS, BY WHITE
THINKERS, THAT HOWARD NEEDS TO
REMAIN A BEACON IN THIS AREA SO
YOU CAN HAVE MORE BLACK
THINKERS, MORE BLACK SCHOLARS
MOVING INTO THIS FIELD?
>> I WOULD STRONGLY DISAGREE.
WE ARE GOING TO OFFER THESE
COURSES.
WE ARE GOING TO OFFER A PATH FOR
STUDENTS TO DO THAT BUT IN A
MORE CONTEMPORARY WAY.
WE WILL START THE SOCIAL
INNOVATION HUB THAT WILL PUT
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SECURITY
AT THE CORE OF THAT AND WRAP
THAT WITH DIFFERENT ASPECTS THAT
STUDENTS CAN THEN GO OUT AND DO
THE TYPES OF THINGS AND SOLVE
THE BIG PROBLEMS LIKE INCOME
INEQUALITY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE
REFORM.
I THINK WHAT WE HAVE TO
RECOGNIZE TODAY IS THAT WHILE
HOWARD DOES REPRESENT A
PIPELINE, WE MUST NOT TAKE ON
THAT PIPELINE AT THE DETRIMENT
OF OUR OWN SELVES IN THE CAUSE
OF THE GREATER HUMANITY.
THERE’S SEVERAL ASPECTS OF WHICH
HOWARD DOES THAT WHERE WE HAVE
THE FIRST AND ONLY DEPARTMENT
AND WE ENDED UP WITH THE LAST
AND ONLY DEPARTMENT, BUT WE ALSO
HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN
THRIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE.
I THINK WE ARE EQUALLY AND WELL
CRITICIZED IF WE AREN’T
SURVIVING AND MAKING STRONG
ADMINISTRATIVE DECISIONS TO
ENSURE WE ARE THRIVING.
THERE’S A DIFFERENT MEANS TO
THAT END.
WE MUST DO THAT.
WE STARTED A PROGRAM, THE
STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM ARE
GOING TO HAVE UNDERGRAD IN THE
HUMANITIES AND GO TO LAW SCHOOL
IN ONE YEAR LESS.
THAT’S A CONTEMPORARY.
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE BLACK
STUDENT, TAKING THEIR DEBT
BURDEN DOWN, BUT GIVING THEM AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR A CONTEMPORARY
EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE TO KEEP BEING NIMBLE
ALONG THOSE THINGS.
I DON’T THINK THERE’S ONE PATH