Comments on: An email from Dr. Boyce Watkins – Why Universities are Fundamentally Racist

By: brotherpeacemaker

brotherpeacemaker — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:37:07 +0000

“Tenure would be meaningless if it were granted to just anybody.”

Kind of like equal status.

Peace

By: DocWho?

DocWho? — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:44:27 +0000

I am a university professor. I saw Dr. Watkins’ web site and CV and I see why he did not get tenure. He should go to a lower-ranked university and try there; perhaps one without a strong research agenda. Tenure would be meaningless if it were granted to just anybody.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 20:16:55 +0000

Evaluation for promotion in today’s colleges and universities is a rather capricious process, at best, for all concerned… black, white, male, female, whatever. “Evaluation” committees, tenure-promotion committees, personnel committees… whatever they may be called, provosts and deans… all have come to want virtually unanimous agreement from the faculty of a department that an individual deserves promotion and tenure. This easily permits a person to be “blackballed” by perhaps as few as one or two professors in a small department. Perhaps race is an additional “aggravating factor” in promotion-tenure decisions, but it is far from the only one. Some white professors have also experienced virtually the same as what Watkins describes as applying primarily, if not only, to black professors. That being said… Watkins’ record is indeed weak with regard to the criteria typically applied in promotion-tenure decisions and he would not likely be promoted if he were as white as the driven snow. In addition to these comments, I echo Frank’s comments as well.

By: Frank

Frank — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:44:14 +0000

Watkins’ essay is a joke. I know the academic tenure system very well and his record is indeed sub-standard and he is now trying to exploit his race to his advantage by forcing Syracure to give him tenure anyway. If tenure decisions at top US universities are so stacked against minorities, why is it that finance departments are chock-full of Indian and Chinese professors many of whom may even be immigrants?

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 00:17:40 +0000

Your article was right on the money. I too am a graduate of the University of Kentucky and was a student there during the time that Dr. Watkins was working on his Master’s Degree. We had many intense conversations about the “feeling” on the university’s campus. During my time at UK, there was an article written, by a student in the campus newpaper, telling blacks to “go back to Detroit where you came from”. That was truly a new one for me. I can still remember talking to Dr. Watkins after the article was printed and his dismay regarding the administration’s acceptance of this tone on the campus. However, what more could we have expected? Dr. Watkins was a frequent writer in the campus newspaper and had a colorful response to those hateful words.

Before my years as a student on the campus, I had never before been called the infamous “N” word. It was horrifying to see this kind of hatred so openly displayed by many students on the campus. It was amazing for me to have met so many fellow co-eds whom had never seen an African American. All that they knew was that we were theives, rapists, murderers, lazy and unknowledgeable. As I talked to many of my fellow classmates, they felt that blacks are depicted this way on TV, so it must be true. The best that we could do is be a basketball player and lead the UK team to victory!! During my brief time at UK working on my undergraduate degree, I felt strongly that I should help those around me see us in a different light. We are smart, hardworking, hopeful, inspiring people who have the same dreams as anyone else.

Thank you Dr. Watkins for your work. I am so proud to say that I have known you personally and your passion for our people is true.

Keep speaking!

Lisa
UK Alum 1995

By: More Trouble at My Old Kentucky Home « The Well Wrought Urn

More Trouble at My Old Kentucky Home « The Well Wrought Urn — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 13:32:55 +0000

[...] a racially hateful act that led UK alum Dr. Boyce Watkins to visit campus and address this event. Dr. Watkins’s insight on the matter is extremely valuable. As he remembers it, the university has been making promises [...]

By: kiikii*Girl5

kiikii*Girl5 — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:54:25 +0000

Dear Dr. Watkins,
I am a teenage white girl living in the North, and I want to say that after seeing you on Hannity & Colmes, you have my upmost respect. I’m sorry, but I only recently learned about you. Can you please tell some websites where I can learn more about you and other black scholars?

All I have left to say is that, Dr. Watkins, please post more articles like this! Please! =D

By: Jason Smith

Jason Smith — Wed, 28 May 2008 02:15:34 +0000

I love how little white people will come to a black blog and try to terrorize or dump in their ignorance. Whoever the “SU student” was who came in above me is doing nothing but showing the kind of ignorance that Dr. Watkins has to deal with at Syracuse University. I honestly wonder why more black professors don’t just teach at HBCUs. White people are like a bunch of angry morons when it comes to race. When they are given a dose of truth and purity, their spiritual body responds like that of an alcoholic and goes nuts. America is ADDICTED to its racism.

Keep speaking the truth Dr. Watkins, Malcolm and Martin would be proud of you.

By: A SU Student

A SU Student — Tue, 13 May 2008 00:30:34 +0000

The fact is you’re here based on the “merit” of your skin-color, you’re a fraud of an intellectual. There’s plenty of mouthy-higher-ed-affirmative-action professors like you in the civilized world (north of the mason-dixon); and all you do is pollute the air-waves with your noxious biased (AND ABSOLUTELY RACIST) remarks.

YOU ARE A RACIST PIG!

By: lilkemet

lilkemet — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 22:55:24 +0000

Thank you Dr. Boyce Watkins for this fascinating article.

come visit:
http://lilkemet.wordpress.com/

By: Ana

Ana — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:37:15 +0000

Correction, Latin nations gained their independence in the early to mid 19th century.
Saludos.

By: Ana

Ana — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:34:55 +0000

Nneoma,
You couldn’t have said it any more logical. Look how blasted long it took the United States to become a regular country,a powerful one and then a meaningful player in world affairs.The sleeping ones(African, African-American elites and whites) also have forgotten that the newly independent African nations were pushed into the Cold war politics, thus debilitating their natural growth.I dont get into debates anymore with sleepers because I shut them down very fast .

I am from latin america,where nations gained their independence during the early to mid 20th century, and they still cannot get it together.Outside pressures are usually roadblocks that impede conmplete independence.
Anyway, History is on our side.

Saludos

By: Professor Tracey

Professor Tracey — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:50:18 +0000

I’m sorry Mr. Pierce, but your comments is pure bull and explains exactly what is wrong with academia. Dr. West is a PUBLIC intellectual. His work brought more free publicity to Harvard than it could have ever bought. Universities and Colleges are full of white professors who have NEVER published anything at all and they sit in position forever. I work with several academics like that.

All this crying about “academic journals” is a smokescreen. I’m sure that Cornell West could have easily published something in an academic journal, but then the issue would have been whether the journal was one of the best or most rigorous. It’s a never ending game with no point. Further, he was alumni of Harvard and surely should not have been attacked in that fashion.

Only in the ivory tower would they value a journal article; which only a handful of people will only ever read and discount published books which thousands of people will read and gain something from. Academics have forgotten that their main job is to EDUCATE!

By: nneoma

nneoma — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 16:45:06 +0000

“Racial inequality took 400 years to build, but for some reason, people are asinine enough to think it should take just 20 years to fix it. Sorry my friend, it’s not that simple.”

Ahhh – finally! I cringe when I get into debates with both whites and the members of the African/African-American elite about the issues of the black race as a whole. The recurring question is after all the affirmative action, food aid, welfare etc. why can’t the black race get its act together. I think that statement answered it. The terrorization of the black race has occurred for centuries. African countries coming out of the colonial stronghold no more than 50 years ago and recognition of civil rights for American blacks almost 40 years ago will not instantly reverse this legacy of almost 400 years.

By: Jeremy Pierce

Jeremy Pierce — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 21:35:59 +0000

Cornel West did stop publishing in his field. It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying hard enough. He wasn’t trying at all. He was hired as a philosophy professor, and he wasn’t even submitting anything he wrote to academic journals. Op-eds and rap albums don’t count as contributing to your field. It’s not the the many influential books he wrote were philosophically irrelevant. There’s certainly philosophy throughout all of them. It’s that they’re popular-level publications and not at an academic level, not peer-reviewed, and so on. What would a biology professor who only published books sold at Barnes and Noble hear from a university president? The same thing.

I’m not sure what you think Harvard did to him, though. It’s not as if they fired him or revoked his tenure. All they did was ask him to submit a publication to a philosophy journal now and then or to submit philosophical work to a university press every once in a while. That’s not racist. It’s simply what you do if you’re a philosophy professor. It’s racist and insulting to black people to suggest that you shouldn’t have to meet the standards of your profession simply because you’re black.

By: Mother Laura

Mother Laura — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:12:06 +0000

Thank you for this compelling article, which I will link at my blog. I haven’t, to my recollection, had a Black, Latin@, or Asian professor in undergrad, master’s or doctoral work in theology– not many White women profs in grad school either, and none with children.

By: Jai

Jai — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 22:57:24 +0000

This is such a wonderful and enlightening article! As an undergraduate at Southern Methodist, I had one black professor my entire time there (and took every class he offered). I believe there were two other black professors at SMU, and none of them are tenured. I am currently a MLA student at St. Edward’s University, a small private school in Austin, TX… I have yet to see a black professor on this campus… even the courses I have taken on issues of diversity and minority authors have been taught by WHITE MEN… it’s extremely difficult to take anyhting they say about “the black, hispanic, muslim experience” seriously…

Anyway, much like Angie, who has replied before me, I too wish to continue my education, pursue a PhD and hopefully become a professor; while I hope racism will not stand in the way of me entering academia, my experience at white institutions, and this article have left me quite skeptical.

Thank you Dr. Watkins for your insights… fight the good fight, there are so many young black people trying to walk in you foot-steps

By: The Debate Link

The Debate Link — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 08:10:42 +0000

Quote of the Evening Number Two

The article in general is great, and particularly interesting to me for its clear ties into my outside research into subjectification (see my post, “The Diversity Rationale and the Problem of Subjectification” for an overview of the concept, or conta…

By: IET

IET — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 04:47:49 +0000

Thanks for shedding some light on the systemic inequalities in academia. But the truth is, it starts way before one attempts to get tenure. Imagine the difficulty a student of color will have breaking into Ph.D. programs at most universities. In general the research that’s being done by white professors could care less about issues concerning people of color. How are we as aspiring grad students supposed to become the next generation of academics if the ivory towers don’t accept our research as valuable?

By: rikyrah

rikyrah — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:16:23 +0000

This is an excellent article, and I thank Dr. Watkins for it.