THE FLICKERING FLAME OF HIPSTER RACISM AT PRINCETON SEMINARY

Yesterday, I was outraged to learn that a respected scholar and clergywoman, Dr. Yolanda Pierce, was targeted by unnamed students at Princeton Theological Seminary with vile, vicious and demeaning "satire" in a newsletter titled The Foreskin several days ago. This newsletter was circulated all over campus. The distributors and authors were operating under the cloak of anonymity.

They claimed their newsletter was satire. It's as hilarious as a burning cross.

This is an excerpt of one column in the newsletter that names Dr. Pierce:
"...no one else around here is black and female... We love it so much that we thought, for almost a whole second, that maybe the seminary should hire more people who are neither white nor male."

We are not amused.

We need to let the administration at Princeton Seminary hear the blaring sound of our trumpets.

Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious defines "hipster racism" as:
"... ideas, speech, and action meant to denigrate another’s person race or ethnicity under the guise of being urbane, witty (meaning "ironic" nowadays), educated, liberal, and/or trendy."


Several years ago, I decided against applying to Princeton Seminary because it is well-known among black clergy throughout this nation that this seminary is unashamed to be known as a vast garden of flourishing white racism and classism. Ask several persons of color at Princeton about the climate of the university, and you will learn that racism and classism and sexism appear in many varieties.

Dr. Pierce is an esteemed black scholar and blog host of Reflections of An Afro-Christian Scholar. We should be more than appalled that students (who will be ministers and/or professors and theologians) had the gall to ridicule and demean her in a newsletter.

A hate crime is defined as:
"Any act of intimidation, harassment, physical force or threat of physical force directed against any person, or gamely, or their property or advocate, motivated either in whole or in part by hostility to their real or perceived race, ethnic background, religious belief, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation, with the intention of causing fear or intimidation, or to deter the free exercise or enjoyment of any rights or privileges secured by the Constitution ...whether or not performed under color of law."

Have the students been expelled? No.

If black students had openly disparaged a white faculty member throughout campus - directly or indirectly - swift disciplinary action would have been taken by university officials. The "just joking!" defense would not have been accepted.

Have the students responsible received disciplinary probation? No.

From what I have learned (so far), only two of the students came forward and apologized. I suspect that those two did not act alone.

Black women are under attack in every sphere they step into. If we fail to act, these attacks will become more vicious and more common. We have made the mistake of not acting swiftly to defend ourselves in the past. We are now paying the price for our reluctance to draw a line in the sand.

Any forms of lynching of black women in the Academy will not be pacified by the tears and empty apologies of students who want to strike a match and run from the blaze. It is not an exaggeration to refer to the public ridicule of black faculty as lynching. In the Academy, credibility matters. Reputation matters.

I ask those of you who understand the power of constructive engagement to step forward.

We can not continue to look askance any longer. We can not be detached when black women are being verbally, physically or professionally attacked. Whether the attack is fueled by black misogyny or white racism, our disapproval must be clear.

Remember when Daily Kos posted an image of Michelle Obama, scantily-clad with hands tied to a post and surrounded by Klansman with a burning cross? "We were just joking!" they claimed.

I visited a blog and saw a photo of Michelle Obama with an ape face substituted for her face and the caption read "ape!" Their blog is satire, they claimed. "We were just joking!"

Many of you have seen other examples of hipster racism.

This "just joking" defense is being used again and again. It's time we put a swift end to this tactic.

I would imagine that Dr. Pierce is going to handle this matter with her employer and those involved in the manner in which she feels is most appropriate and godly. I imagine she would not call for public protest of any kind.

Our tacit acceptance of hipster racism has broad implications. This incident is just one of many incidents that have not been sternly confronted. There are many covert racist tactics that continue in institutions and in corporations all over the nation. Most blacks who are demeaned will probably keep things "private" and quiet.

We will not permit black women to stand alone against racism, misogyny, sexism or classism in the Academy, while university officials coddle, protect and pat on the head the students (or faculty) who attempt to attack the credibility of black scholars who have spent decades earning national and international respect.

The university officials who must be contacted are:

Nancy Lammers Gross
Dean of Student Life
Princeton Theological Seminary
210 Templeton Hall
Princeton, NJ 08542
Email: nancy.gross@ptsem.edu
Phone: 609-497-7880

Iain R. Torrance
President
Princeton Theological Seminary
132 Administration Building
Princeton, NJ 08542
Email: president@ptsem.edu
Phone: 609-497-7800

Please, make a phone call and leave a voicemail message stating that:
1) It is a national outrage that this conduct has not been properly addressed.
2) These repeated instances of professional disparagement of black women in the Academy by racist students is a national disgrace. It reflects the institutionalized acceptance of demeaning and disrespecting black women in every sphere of society.
3) The passive stance by university officials when black scholars face public slander and disparagement by students and colleagues is symptomatic of a larger issue that remains unaddressed at many white universities throughout our nation.
4) Please mention that if all students responsible are not expelled, we are prepared to submit a formal complaint to the N.A.A.C.P. within seven business days to charge the university with failure to treat this carefully orchestrated action as a hate crime that was intended to disparage a black faculty member. While Dr. Pierce was not being threatened, there was a clear intention to publicly ridicule and publicly humiliate her.

Sistas, I ask you to inform your blog guests of the necessity to act swiftly.

Your pen has power. Your voice has power. Wield it diligently. Aim skillfully and forcefully.

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UPDATE-11/26/2008

On November 26th, Princeton Seminary posted a response on their web site to respond to the heat they have received. Click here to read "Seminary Response to Malicious and Racist Newsletter".

We should also sound our trumpets with the local media. (Keep in mind that the media will keep the recording of your message and will quote you in any article that is written. Choose your words carefully and correctly relay the facts!)

Aubrey Huston, Editor
THE PRINCETON PACKET, INC.
P.O. Box 350
Princeton, New Jersey 08542
Phone: 609-924-3244 extension 336
Fax: 609-924-3842
Email: feedback@pacpub.com

The site traffic reports reveal that numerous visitors are coming to this blog from New Jersey. Every day, I notice there are numerous visits from Princeton. Should we be surprised?

Many Princeton, New Jersey blog visitors are arriving at this blog by googling the title of the newsletter! How interesting...Since only those who are at Princeton would know the title of the newsletter, I suspect that these visitors are attempting to find out which blogs are blowing the trumpet about this vile incident!

Sistas, don't be led into debates in your comment sections with those who want to defend this racist conduct or who demand to know why you are offended! Racists always attempt to cross-examine their accusers.

We will not be detoured.

______________________________________________________

WATCH NEW JERSEY IP ADDRESSES AT YOUR BLOGS

BE AWARE: Princeton trolls ARE clicking into the profiles of commenters here in order to visit other blogs and give inaccurate facts and false claims that the matter is resolved at Princeton. Some of the others are "claiming" to be outraged over the incident in order to be deceptive in giving false "insider information". They refuse to name the wrongdoers in order to protect them - while visiting our blogs saying "we're on your side".

For the bloggers who have site traffic monitoring software at your blogs, please send me an email listing the New Jersey IP addresses that access the discussions at your blog concerning this incident.

For an example of the tactics at blogs of those who are trying to defend this racist and vile act, click here.