Duke Univ. Skewered for Allowing 'Nut Jobs' to Honor MLK
by Jim Brown
January 19, 2006
(AgapePress) - - A conservative columnist says Duke University showed poor academic judgment by inviting singer and social activist Harry Belafonteto speak about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy and values.Duke claims its decision to have Belafonte deliver the MLK tribute on campus reaffirmed the university's commitment to free speech. Belafonte, who recently called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world," backed up those comments by telling the Duke audience Bush was not different than Al-Qaeda. He also praised communist and socialist thinkers during his speech.
But Jason Mattera with the Young America's Foundation says it was ludicrous for Duke to host a speaker who not only has contempt for President Bush, but also the values that Dr. King stood for.
"At this speech, Harry Belafonte chastised and chided President Bush's faith in Christian principles [and the president's] Christianity," says Mattera, "which makes one wonder why would they even invite Belafonte because Dr. King was a Baptist minister who constantly used biblical imagery and used the Bible when preaching about civil rights."
The YAF spokesman notes that Duke University has a one-sided view of the civil rights movement, and has consistently excluded conservative black speakers such as Ward Connerly, J.C. Watts, and Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas from honoring the late civil rights leader. Yet, Mattera points out, the school hosted Angela Davis -- a woman who was active in Communist Party politics -- for its MLK address last year. He explains why, in his opinion, Davis was a bad choice.
"She was the third woman to be put on the FBI's most wanted list. She's complicit in a whole bunch of murders as part of the Black Panthers. And she's hostile to capitalism and is a devout Communist," he contends. He also applies the "racist" tag to Davis. "She blames white America for many of the evils she considers in the black community."
Mattera emphasizes that while he students do need to hear from "nut jobs like Angela Davis and Harry Belafonte," they also need to hear a conservative view of the civil rights movement. But he adds that "nowadays, in order to grace academia's doorstep, one must be an outspoken lunatic who embraces communist thugs overseas."
Read Jason Mattera's column about Harry Belafonte's visit to Duke University
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
