The Jefferson Council cannot get in the way of our progress

In its latest attempt to counteract change at the University, the Jefferson Council held its second annual meeting to discuss topics like diversity, equity and inclusion practices, affirmative action and “woke” culture at the University. The Council, led by Bert Ellis, Board of Visitors member and Darden Alumnus, was formed to preserve Thomas Jefferson’s legacy and the Honor system.

In theory, the Council’s objectives are not inherently threatening. The University too strives to protect Jefferson’s legacy and the Honor Committee — through celebration but also through reform. But the Council’s refusal to acknowledge the ways the University’s oldest traditions have consistently harmed marginalized groups shows that the group is out of touch with our values as a community. Simply put, a council that antagonizes meaningful attempts to honestly reckon with our horrific legacy of racism has no place on our Grounds. This is a warning for students — we must resist the Jefferson Council’s agenda.

The choice of speakers for the event highlights the sort of problematic rhetoric that the Council deems acceptable. One prominent speaker chosen to give remarks at the event was conservative Brown University professor Glenn Loury, who began his speech by acknowledging that the topics at hand were sensitive, but did not exactly approach the topics in a sensitive manner. One of Loury’s most controversial takes is that the circumstances of Black Americans who are not well-off today are the result of their own failures to take advantage of 20th century developments in Civil Rights. At one point, versial and contrary to University values — it is because they are. Attending this university is a constant reminder of its storied past — a past that features great feats but also tragic failures, like the institution of slavery and the Honor system’s historic discrimination against minority students. Despite these failures, the University has continued to progress forward through student-led changes to the Honor system in consecutive years. Bert Ellis has da that is antithetical to this progress by calling it “woke” and displacing our viewpoint in favor of their own.

The Jefferson Council knows they are out of touch with the values of this community. At the meeting, members of the council behaved as if they were a rebel group that could only discuss these issues in private. Despite the disconnect, it is wrong to say that the Jefferson Council is all talk no action. As we have seen already, members like fighting to redress.

Not only are the Jefferson Council’s views desperately out of touch, they have the potential to harm the culture of progress that students have created on Grounds. The Council’s blog shares daily posts that have criticized the University’s “left-wing brainwash.” Discussing ways to create a better future is not left-wing brainwash, it is progress. By examining our historical wrongdoings, we are moving towards a future that can appreciate both the legacy of Jefferson and acknowledge the remarkable progress that we have made to fix our wrongdoings. This progress is in pursuit of a better future for all that attend the University — and if the Jefferson Council continues to fight against that better future, we students must not let them.

Loury’s outlandish takes solicited a response from an audience member who said if he had to choose a doctor and only knew their race, he would not choose a Black doctor. Loury, who believes that white supremacy is a narrative put forth by the left and is a departure from reality, did not shut down the comments. If these comments sound contro- a history of vocally opposing proposed changes from students, specifically saying he is ready for a “fight” to save Honor. Acknowledging and remedying the negative effects left by centuries of racism in our institutions is a task students have taken upon ourselves because we care to leave our school better than we found it. The Jefferson Council continues to espouse an agen-

Ellis have penetrated our governing bodies with agendas of combatting changes they see as too “woke,” like DEI initiatives — relatively common practices intended to remove barriers caused by centuries of institutional racism. If we allow the Jefferson Council to undermine the University’s values as they assume positions of power, we risk repeating the racist history we are

FORD MCCRACKEN is a Senior Associate Opinion Editor for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.

The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of The Cavalier Daily. Columns represent the views of the authors alone.