Read a Book, Get Charged with Racial Harassment

American Thinker ^ | May 12, 2008 | Selwyn Duke

[neverdem]

The May 9 edition of the New York Post carries a short article by an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis student named Keith John Sampson. He tells a story of how he was charged with "racial harassment" simply because he was "caught" reading an anti-Ku Klux Klan book. I'm not kidding.  Sampson tells his story:

The book was Todd Tucker's 'Notre Dame vs. the Klan: How the Fighting Irish Defeated the Ku Klux Klan'; I was reading it on break from my campus job as a janitor. The same book is in the university library . . . .

But that didn't stop the Affirmative Action Office of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis from branding me as a detestable Klansman.

They didn't want to hear the truth. The office ruled that my 'repeatedly reading the book . . . constitutes racial harassment in that you demonstrated disdain and insensitivity to your co-workers.'

The affirmative-action officer -- who draws a salary of $106, 000 a year to perform her crucial role and is obviously a woman of inestimable intellect -- neither examined the book nor spoke with Sampson. He wasn't guilty before proven innocent. He was just guilty.

To make a long story short, the charges were only dropped months later after the institution of lower learning came under pressure from the media, the ACLU (hey, even a blind squirrel... ) and a more obscure group called the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

Since Sampson works as a janitor to, I would assume, help finance his education, he obviously wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Perhaps he was assumed to be one of those bitter working class people of whom Barack Obama spoke. Anyway, it's good to see he is getting something for the many thousands of dollars he is paying to attend his illustrious Indiana university.

As outrageous as the story is, what is more troubling than the facts Sampson provided is what he omitted. He failed to identify the cultural forces responsible for his persecution or even hint at the wider problem. Perhaps the Post insisted that he stick to only uncontroversial facts or maybe the fault lies with his own political correctness. It's probably both, as Sampson seems like a somewhat liberal man who is painfully naive about the power of the thought police (despite being victimized by them).

What Sampson fails to point out is that the affirmative-action officer is a black woman named Lillian Charleston. Oh, that's not relevant? Sorry, but this is all about race. Mr. Sampson would never have been charged with racial harassment for reading a history book relating to the Klan were he not white; in fact, it's hard to imagine such a charge being leveled against a black person for any reason, given the double standards in the academy's politically correct environment.

In case you're considering a career in the vital and growing field of affirmative action and are wondering what credentials one must possess to become one of its storm troopers, here is Charleston's bio:

Lillian Charleston is nationally recognized for her expertise and knowledge of Affirmative Action and related issues. In addition to serving as the Affirmative Action Officer for IUPUI for the past 16 years, she previously worked as a desegregation specialist for the Indianapolis Public Schools. She has been an officer and board member of the American Association for Affirmative Action and the Indiana Industry Liaison Group. She also supports her community through active board service with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission, the Indianapolis Urban League, the Indianapolis Chapter of Big Sisters, and the Association for Loan Free Education. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Indiana University in Urban Studies, Counseling and College Student Personnel.

In other words, she specializes in grievance, social engineering, victimology and in what Rush Limbaugh has labeled get-even-with-'em-ism. To gain a little more insight into the mindset of this woman, read the letter she sent to Sampson about the charge:

Upon review of this matter, we conclude that your conduct constitutes racial harassment in that you demonstrated disdain and insensitivity to your co-workers who repeatedly requested that you refrain from reading the book which has such an inflammatory and offensive topic in their presence. You contend that you weren't aware of the offensive nature of the topic and were reading the book about the KKK to better understand discrimination. However you used extremely poor judgment by insisting on openly reading the book related to a historically and racially abhorrent subject in the presence of your Black co-workers. Furthermore, employing the legal "reasonable person standard," a majority of adults are aware of and understand how repugnant the KKK is to African Americans, their reactions to the Klan, and the reasonableness of the request that you not read the book in their presence.

During your meeting with Marguerite Watkins, Assistant Affirmative Action Officer [sic] you were instructed to stop reading the book in the immediate presence of your co-workers and when reading the book to sit apart from the immediate proximity of these co-workers. Please be advised, any future substantiated conduct of a similar nature could result in serious disciplinary action.

The letter reveals something else that should be obvious, which is that the individual filing the complaint against Sampson was also black. And this is another example of the relativistic standard that is applied in these matters. In other words, in judging the case, the affirmative-action office didn't analyze the action under the light of objective truth, but based on the feelings of a politically-favored individual, in this case an irrational one. That Sampson's black co-worker felt aggrieved was justification enough to send out a lynching party. 

Of course, whose feelings will be used to determine whose feelings will be the yardstick of racial justice?  They are those of these affirmative-action storm troopers, and it's hard to imagine a scenario under which their feelings would ever tell them that a white person's feelings should be thus exalted. This brings me to my last point.

For many years now we have heard about data used to justify charges of racial profiling. It will be determined that an inordinate percentage of blacks are pulled over by police in a given area, and that alone is viewed as sufficient cause to change law-enforcement procedures. Even more to the point, many claim that since blacks constitute a percentage of the prison population greatly exceeding that of the general one, it's evidence of systemic "racism." 

So here is a study I'd like to see conducted. Let's ascertain the racial composition of those who have charges of racial harassment brought against them -- and of those punished for same -- on college campuses. Call me crazy, but I have a sneaking suspicion that virtually all those targeted are white.

Oh, yeah, I overlooked something. Only white people can be racist. 

Let's just forget the whole thing.

Contact Selwyn Duke 

[JoJo Gunn]

Let's not forget that this kind of PC insanity continues under 8 years of a GOP watch, and there's never a peep from the top.

And they want my vote?

[Texas Federalist]

Let's not forget that this kind of PC insanity continues under 8 years of a GOP watch, and there's never a peep from the top.

Heck, McCain probably supports this. Welcome to the one party future.

[maine-iac7]

BUMP
BUMP
BUMP

[HoosierHawk]

However you used extremely poor judgment by insisting on openly reading the book related to a historically and racially abhorrent subject in the presence of your Black co-workers.

How dare he?

Since IUPUI has decided not burn Sampson, will they burn the book instead?

[xmission]

When I was in 4th grade I sat next to a black girl. We were studying racism. There was a picture of a klan rally, or something along those lines. I just smiled and shook my head, unable to fathom how a person could be a racist like that.

Somehow the girl took it the wrong way, and may a slight fuss.

The teacher proceeded to make an example of me, regarding what a racist looks like in front of the whole class.

His name was Kubida. If I ever meet him, I’ll beat the piss out of him.

[muawiyah]

This kind of nonsense has been happening at a state university under a Republican governor.

All of which is irrelevant. Some black Americans are like Lillian Charleston in their ambition to actually HIDE how some people fought back against the KKK.

I think they're sick; Fur Shur they shouldn't have important job in universities.

[redgolum]

Hate to say it, but you have to be very careful what books you read at work. I love history, and was once asked to not bring one of the books to work anymore.

[Clock King]

The shear raw ignorance and stupidity of (some of ) my fellow black americans disgusts me to no end. This man is a natural ally reading the history of how his own people fought the KKK and he is punished for it? God grant me favor, that I never meet a person like this AA officer ever again in my life.

[Cyber Liberty]

If you work for a large corporation, odds are you already have a whole staff of AA officers available to you, they’re called “Diversity” departments.

[Diplomat]

God grant me favor, that I never meet a person like this AA officer ever again in my life.

Then you must never step foot into ANY college, nor any campus labeled "higher learning." Every single one of them are infested with this non-sense. From Harvard to your local community college. I defy anyone to find an institute of higher learning that isn't completely obsessed with this worthless, damaging b.s.

[Michael.SF.]

I love history, and was once asked to not bring one of the books to work anymore

The old saying in the book publishing biz was: If you want to sell a loser, put a Swastika on the cover.

PC has probably made that ineffective.

What book did they ask you not to bring?

[HoosierHawk]

A work environment is a horse of a different color. Businesses are fettered by federal and local rules and regs and their own battalion of lawyers, who play the whole legal game conservatively.

Universities have been, and should remain, educational institutions open to the exchange of ideas and opinions, especially those on the public dole.

Having said that, it's hard to compete with the university admin's fascism as exemplified here.

[wardaddy]

The GOP simply represents it current constituents.

Soft weak spined fearful feminized white folks.

[Michael.SF.]

Maybe he should just bring a video instead:

[Minn]

The diversity business is completely insane. A few years a go I was working as a contractor for a company which will go unnamed (not really. It was American Express Financial Services, now known as Ameriprise). A co-worker, after a long evening of debugging, announced his triumph with an email to interested parties with a subject line that read: “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead”. First thing the next morning he was hauled into the diversity office and informed that slurs against those at American Express that practice the occult would not be tolerated.

[tang-soo]

Miss Lillian

[Comparative Advantage]

Tell Miss Lillian how you feel:

http://www.iupui.edu/~aao/index.html

PS. I can’t believe she is paid over $100K. Nothing short of academic welfare. Obviously, she is not competent to perform a real job.

[Ole Okie]

Since IUPUI has decided not burn Sampson, will they burn the book instead?

As Deacon Mushrat of Pogo fame was wont to say, "There's nothing so beautiful as a brightly burning book."

Deacon Mushrat was (comic strip Pogo's writer) Walt Kelly's representation of mush headed liberals.

[Comparative Advantage]

http://www.reason.com/blog/printer/125361.html