Uproar Over Essays Turns MLK’s Dream Inside Out. The University of Montana judged contest submissions on content instead of the writers’ race. Big mistake.

Wall Street Journal ^ | February 6, 2020 | Heather Mac Donald

[karpov]

The University of Montana asked students, staff and community members to participate in an essay contest on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. When the school released the results last month, Montana students and race activists across the country accused university officials of racism and disrespect. That’s because all four winners were white. Turns out some would rather the school had honored King by judging entrants on the color of their skin rather than the content of their submissions.

The four contest winners started receiving threats, and the African-American studies program, which had sponsored the contest, removed their photos and essays from its website. A central fact—no black students had even submitted an essay—failed to defuse the racism charge.

Critics blasted “shameful” university officials for holding a contest at all. A lecturer on the college race circuit admonished the university for thinking that “there is a universality around writing an essay,” when in reality blacks express themselves “completely different.” One black student sniffed that participating would have been a “sellout/compromise.” “Having grown up in all white spaces,” he posted on Facebook, “I often avoided events such as this because I knew the purpose was a performative gesture from the administration.” How the student determines when events are not “performative gestures” was left unspecified.

The African-American studies program was denounced for not canceling the competition when the organizers realized the skin color of the six entrants. “I cannot understand how anyone would think remembering the legacy of MLK Jr. is achieved by giving four white girls a shout out,” wrote a critic. “Do not center Whiteness on the day we are supposed to remember MLK Jr.’s legacy.”

But the contest rules had no racial prerequisites.

[blueunicorn6]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

Lux Et Veritas

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: That’s because all four winners were white. ::

But, wasn’t that intent of HAVING a Black History month?
To educate “dem wye debils”?

[mewzilla]

Montana has an A-A studies program? Who would have guessed?

Why wouldn't it? These kind of SJW programs are incredibly cheap to run and everyone gets an A. STEM programs on the other hand cost a lot more money and, used to anyway, demand rigor.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: using Reverend Kings words and ideals as both a shield and a cloak to protect and hide their personal agenda’s ::

Jesse used Rev. Kings bloody shirt from 04APR1968. Which he still has today. Last I knew, he would CHARGE folks to view it.

[rightwingcrazy]

“MLK Jr. is spinning in his grave at the Leftists SJW culture.”

If I learned that people whom I cared for would come to idolize my name, while utterly rejecting everything I stood for, I would be heartbroken. These people aren’t honoring him, they are cynically rebranding him for their own selfish purposes.

[sauropod]

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