EDITOR’S NOTE: The location of Jason Riley’s talk has been moved to Wolf Law Building, room 207
University of Colorado students of color are organizing a silent protest at an on-campus speech — entitled “False Black Power? The Persistence of Racial Disparities Despite Increased Black Political Clout” — given by author, Wall Street Journal columnist and Fox News contributor Jason Riley.
Riley was invited to speak at the CU Law School by student organization the Federalist Society. The senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute’s speech will cover how African-Americans must prioritize economic advancement rather than “political capital” to advance, according to the CU event page.
The CU Black Law Students Association sent out a message refuting Riley’s ideas.
A statement from the association quotes Riley’s article, “Why liberals should stop trying to ‘help’ black Americans,” where he wrote liberalism “has also succeeded, tragically, in convincing blacks to see themselves first and foremost as victims. Today there is no greater impediment to black advancement than the self-pitying mindset that permeates black culture.”
The association found fault in Riley’s mentality, noting slavery, Jim Crow and the school-to-prison pipeline, among other injustices, left the black population disenfranchised.
“We do not pity ourselves, we are not bleeding hearts—but we refuse to speak about blackness and/or black power without a thorough acknowledgment of the injustice blacks have suffered in this country,” the association wrote. “We acknowledge our history. We are an injured people, but injury does not diminish our strength.”
First-year law students Ariel Amaru and Aretha Frazier, members of the CU Black Law Students Association, said they respect Riley’s right to speak his mind.
They also value their right to peacefully protest.
Amaru and Frazier are encouraging peers, faculty and the community to come to Riley’s talk dressed in all black and sit quietly as a sign of resistance. Riley’s speech is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday in the Wolf Law Building, room 207. The talk is free and open to the public.
The two law students were frustrated by the way the Federalist Society — an organization with a majority white membership, the students pointed out — handled the event. The society reached out to the Black Law Students Association after Riley was already booked to ask the association to co-sponsor the event, the students said.
The BLSA declined the Federalist Society’s offer.
“They weren’t considering us when they booked Riley, and the whole conversation is about us,” Frazier said. “We were an afterthought.”
In Amaru and Frazier’s first-year class of 190 students, they said there are eight black students.
“I worry that Riley’s statements could be really polarizing, just confirming what an audience of mostly white people want to hear,” Frazier said.
Blake Herron, president of the CU Law Federalist Society, said Riley was sought to fulfil the society’s mission of advancing “underappreciated topics, cultivate discussion and highlight unconventional views.”
If the society wanted to start a dialogue and promote diverse thoughts, Amaru and Frazier argued they should have started by talking with the diverse students before “the 11th hour.”
“I’m very open to a dialogue and hearing views that are different from mine,” Amaru said. “I think there’s extreme nobility in discomfort. I would have liked to collaborate earlier.”
She would have suggested inviting a speaker to counter Riley’s views for a true debate.
“If you’re booking a speaker who isn’t representative of you speaking about a group not representative of you, you should check in with those who the speaker does represent,” Amaru said. “We would do the same.”
CU officials uphold both student groups’ rights to invite a “controversial” speaker and to protest that speaker.
“Our students and any campus group are welcome to invite any speaker they wish,” said CU spokesman Ryan Huff. “At the same time, others who disagree with the viewpoints of speakers are welcome to attend those events, ask questions and engage in dialogue on the issues. Peaceful protests are part of their free speech rights, too. We’re an institution that values the free exchange of ideas, even those that can be controversial.”
Last month, Regent Heidi Ganahl, a Republican in an at-large seat, proposed that the CU Board of Regents create a policy better outlining free speech rights of students and the campus community, ensuring speech won’t be censored no matter how “offensive” someone might find it.
Elizabeth Hernandez: 303-473-1106, hernandeze@dailycamera.com
