Congrats

Very good reporting..normally this sort of news article is poorly done..and makes things worse..this does sound troubling..

David Merkowitz, University of Cincinnati, at 9:40 pm EST on February 22, 2005

HATE AT CARNEGIE MELLON

The lesson is not about the supposed “perils of free speech” but about the coswardice and stupidity of university administrators who hide behind the Bill of Rights as they abandon their responsiblities to educate their ignorant students (notably the followers of Brother Shabazz) and protect others from what was clearly outrageous behavior inappropriate to a university campus, even the likes of Carnegie Mellon.

DANIEL STEIN, at 8:48 am EST on February 23, 2005

Educational Responsibility

This is part of a disturbing trend. Recently Duke Universtiy was also convulsed in a spate of Jew bashing which could have easily been prevented if appropriate and reasonable oversight and guidance had been exercised.

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006102

The ADL has an excellent section on their website discussing the issue of Hate Speech versus Free Speech. Shabazz is entitled to his racism and is free to promote it. But educational institutions do not have an obligation to facilitate him or publicize his twisted views. Rather, schools should be at the forefront of speaking against them.

http://www.adl.org/Sih/SIH-intro1.asp

Likewise, the infamous antisemitic tract, (which Shabazz put on his reading list at CMU) “The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews", should never be taught on any respectable university campus. This fictional work fantacizes a worldf Jewish conspiracy against Blacks and blames the Jews for the international slave trade although there is obviously no evidence to support the claims.

There is no justification for having Shabazz on campus. Well known false hateful propaganda has no educational value.

Hate is not free speech, at 7:04 pm EST on February 23, 2005

Shabazz

I hope the university also has a policy which requires that speakers give time for responses. It would have been interesting to see what the outcome of the meeting would have been if members of the audience denounced the black race.

bill wells, at 4:30 pm EST on February 28, 2005

it would be useful to read some comments from the leadership of sprint, the org that invited the speaker

joseph h. ehrenkranz, executive director at center for christian-jewish understanding, at 3:21 pm EST on March 1, 2005

Shabazz

thanks for your comments, Jeffrey. It’s one thing to be the victim of abuse; its another to sit and helplessly *take* the abuse that’s being dished out. I condemn Shabazz’s comments. As a progressive black person, i find him repulsive and stupid.

Charles, Well Said, Jeffrey, at 2:30 pm EST on November 1, 2005

What Do You Really Know

What’s interesting about reading all the comments is that so many of you speak against what Shabazz said at his lecture, but I don’t remember seeing any of you there. You carelessly take everything this reporter has written as truth. Don’t you realize that the media misconstrues the truth merely for effect? Doesn’t it concern you that most of the quotes are from Jewish students and leaders or that none of the students from the Black student organization that brought Shabazz were available for interviews? What about the fact that there were no quotes from the Black student population, because believe it or not not all Black students are members of the Black student organization. FYI, the “many journalists asked to leave” was only one. It was Carnegie Mellon’s own school newspaper that was asked to leave by the Black student organization and not Shabazz. This was done because the newspaper has been known to bad-mouth the Black student organization and make racist commentary about Black people, women, and homosexuals. Also, how dare you call any Carnegie Mellon student ignorant for wanting Shabazz to come or for being his follower, maybe you could call them misguided, but ignorant is not even the correct word choice. And who are you talking about when you refer to “his followers”. Only one student at Carnegie Mellon was a follower, NO ONE ELSE; however, the real ignorant people of this world have left us NON-FOLLOWERS with the blame. I walk around my campus and just because my skin is dark cocoa I am asked why I believe what Shabazz believes. I only went to the lecture, I never said I agreed, none of the Black students did, but as always, white America decides to tell us our choice rather than let us make them. Well, I’m sick of this. Shabazz came to our school and yes he hurt people, but he also enriched some. What is not spoken about is how he addressed the issue of the young Black man and his responsibilities to his family and community. No body talks about how he spoke of Black women as queens and encouraged us to reach for the sky. Nobody acknowledges his concerns with the Black community and his positive responses on how to rebuild it. And do you know that many of the so-called “anti-Semitic” talk is referring to Shabazz’s explanation of Slave history. Who wouldn’t feel attacked if they were being shown in gruesome words and pictures of how their race maliciously beat, raped, lynched, and murdered another race. What you commenters are lacking is the experience of being in the same room with a Black man that powerful. He put fear into the hearts of so many just by showing up. He didn’t come with a heart of violence. He didn’t really come to lecture the CMU community, he came to encourage and empower the Black college student. To address some other things: The entrance to the auditorium was not race separated. The members of the Black organization had reserved seating because they brought him. It just so happens that most of the members are Black. As far as openly opposing Shabazz, students did and it was a half black half white student that did it. She was brave and bold. Also, there was a Q&A session after the lecture. I do not agree with everything that Shabazz says and does, but I don’t think there was anything wrong with bringing him to our university, my university, a university that subtlety reminds me, everyday, that I am black woman in their white world. I’m happy Shabazz came. It’s sad that it took such an extremist to speak candidly in order for the school and many of its students to realize that racism exists on the campus. It appalls me that just a year before Shabazz came, there had been an article published in the CMU newspaper that contained a comic using the word “nigger” in a very negative connotation, and when the Black students spoke, their sentiments were easily dismissed by some of the very same students that were “in tears” at the Shabazz lecture. The media only gives you half of the story. Never trust them. Always find the truth for yourself.

Roberta, Carnegie Mellon University, at 5:50 am EDT on June 14, 2006