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Notes -
Following layoffs, Boston University announces ‘inquiry’ into Ibram Kendi’s Antiracist Center
During the heights of antiracism mania back in June of 2020, Boston University decided to show off their commitment by hiring noted antiracist Ibram Kendi to head their new "Antiracist Center", which raised tens of millions of dollars and included dozens of faculty members. Three years later, after failing to achieve such important objectives as a "Racial Data Tracker", complaints emerged about the center's management of funds and culture. For example, the former "assistant director of narrative" (incredible job title, btw) complained that Kendi was never available and shit didn't get done; he was busy producing important academic work such as a graphic novel, a podcast, and a TV show, and recently returned from several months of leave to tell half of the staff they were being laid off so they could switch to a "fellowship based model". Another professor wondered where grant money, that never seemed to be tied to any expectation of performing research, had gone. This article from the student paper goes into more detail on the allegations.
You have to feel for BU here - after all, the guy won a MacArthur genius grant and wrote a NYT bestseller. There was no way to predict he had no idea how to run an academically rigorous enterprise.
Here’s a thought I had today: This is only happening because the Supreme Court banned affirmative action.
I was rereading Zvi’s moral mazes sequence, and one of the concepts that stood out to me is the idea that ambitious people will self-modify themselves, right down to their own epistemology and values, in order to better conform with workplace culture. When affirmative action was “in”, all the administrators and middle managers were in a very real sense unable to see the incompetence and lack of results that came out of programs like Kendi’s Antiracist Center. They had to be good because they were affirmative-action programs, and affirmative action was good. Now that this paradigm has been shattered by the highest court in the land, the scales have fallen from their eyes. They can see plainly the fruits of what they have done. Affirmative action? Never heard of her. We hire strictly on merit here. We have always done that. It was just a few loons in the early 2020s with their wacky ideas. We never really bought into them.
that's basically the argument kendi makes - that racist ideas come from racist policy. hell, it's basically the same argument hanania makes in his book - that (anti)racist ideas come from (anti)racist policy (the civil rights act).
The difference is that Hanania can point to specific (anti)racist policy while Kendi just assumes it must exist.
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