An anonymous letter apparently from a Berkeley history professor and addressed to university criticizes the BLM narrative and the lack of academic freedom for people who disagree with the party line. The author claims to be a person of color and echoes some of the same themes from Candace Owens. A friend of the author posted it on twitter.
Here are a few excerpts:
The explanation provided in your documentation, to the near exclusion of all others, is univariate: the problems of the black community are caused by whites, or, when whites are not physically present, by the infiltration of white supremacy and white systemic racism into American brains, souls, and institutions.
. . . I see my department uncritically reproducing a narrative that diminishes black agency in favor of a white-centric explanation that appeals to the departmentâs apparent desire to shoulder the âwhite manâs burdenâ and to promote a narrative of white guilt . If we claim that the criminal justice system is white-supremacist, why is it that Asian Americans, Indian Americans, and Nigerian Americans are incarcerated at vastly lower rates than white Americans? This is a funny sort of white supremacy.
. . .I am certain that if my name were attached to this email, I would lose my job and all future jobs, even though I believe in and can justify every word I type.
. . .The vast majority of violence visited on the black community is committed by black people . There are virtually no marches for these invisible victims, no public silences, no heartfelt letters from the UC regents, deans, and departmental heads. The message is clear: Black lives only matter when whites take them.
. . .MLK would likely be called an Uncle Tom if he spoke on our campus today .
. . .the regents of UC and the historians of the UCB History department are celebrating this violent criminal, elevating his name to virtual sainthood . A man who hurt women. A man who hurt black women. With the full collaboration of the UCB history department, corporate America, most mainstream media outlets, and some of the wealthiest and most privileged opinion-shaping elites of the USA, he has become a culture hero, buried in a golden casket, his (recognized) family showered with gifts and praise . Americans are being socially pressured into kneeling for this violent, abusive misogynist
. . .It shouldnât affect the strength of my argument above, but for the record, I write as a person of color . My family have been personally victimized by men like Floyd. We are aware of the condescending depredations of the Democrat party against our race.
. . .The ever-present soft bigotry of low expectations and the permanent claim that the solutions to the plight of my people rest exclusively on the goodwill of whites rather than on our own hard work is psychologically devastating . No other group in America is systematically demoralized in this way by its alleged allies. A whole generation of black children are being taught that only by begging and weeping and screaming will they get handouts from guilt-ridden whites.
What has happened to the ideals of academic freedom when alternative opinions are silenced and have to be posted anonymously to avoid reprisals?
I remember when Democrats would go on about the evils of black listing of members of the Communist Party back in the McCarthy era. Now even bringing up inconvenient facts are grounds for dismissal, and registering as a Republican is a ridiculous risk if you value your career.
I think that the author has some points worth considering. What do you think?
