Clarence Page is a liberal, but among my more favorite ones. Page is calm, articulate, well reasoned, polite and respects data. In short Page is everything, that Al Franken and Keith Olberman [1],are not.
Elite academic insitutions, life Havard, achieve their racial quotas, diversity objectives by admitting large number of African immigrants, and these immigrants do quite well. While admitting a well qualified canidate from say Nigeria bloosters both Havard’s political objectives and graduation rate, it does nothing to further the idea that diversity is intented undo(1) the damage caused the legacy of slavery.
Via Real Clear Politics [2], Page questions the implementation of diversity [3]:
But I also think we need to revisit the meaning of “diversity.” Unlike our current system of feel-good game-playing, we need to focus on the deeper question of how education can be improved and opportunities opened up to those who were left behind by the civil rights revolution.
Page argues that failure to meet the political objectives of diversity means that the diversity program needs to re-examined and retuned.
I am all for re-examination and retuning but have a different target. I have grown tired of the idea that every time a black fails it is the fault of a white. Does racial equality should mean equal racial responsibiity.
Before re-examining the admission policy of institutions like Havard, ask the question of what immigrants from places like Nigeria and Haiti doing right that native blacks are doing wrong? Given the high degree of genetic similarity between immigrant and native blacks, I’d say that nature is not the answer. If not nature, then maybe nurture? Is black culture failing black youths? Is Bill Cosby right [4]?
(H/T photo: Western Kentucy University [5] )
1. Yes you are right. Technically it was affirmative action which was meant to reverse the effects of slavery. But nobody has yet ti explain what the purpose, if any, of diversity actually is. Diversity is just the new liberal code speak for affirmative action, minus the rational.