Sometimes something happens in politics that is just too perfect. That happened today after Princeton University went public to declare itself systematically racist. Betsy Devos, who heads the Department of Education, decided to respond to their admission in kind. I mean, she can’t just sit idly by after a school admits to violating civil rights, right?
Inject this directly into my veins.
Princeton: We are racist.
Department of Education: https://t.co/MIGhLtEvM1
— Mikhael Smits 😷 (@mikhaelsmits) September 17, 2020
The Department of Education has informed Princeton University that it is under investigation following the school president’s declaration that racism was “embedded” in the institution.
President Christopher Eisgruber published an open letter earlier this month claiming that “racism and the damage it does to people of color persist at Princeton” and that “racist assumptions” are “embedded in structures of the University itself.”
According to a letter the Department of Education sent to Princeton that was obtained by the Washington Examiner, such an admission from Eisgruber raises concerns that Princeton has been receiving tens of millions of dollars of federal funds in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which declares that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
I guess there’s a price for getting woke after all? This move by Devos is just epic. Princeton’s school president wanted to go get a bunch of back-slaps so he wrote a 250+ page letter detailing how racist his school is. The job of the Department of Education is to investigation and hold institutions accountable for such misconduct. That’s exactly what Devos did, informing the university they are now under investigation for their racism.
Of course, this move triggered the more left-leaning among us. Here’s Vox’s reporter on the right decrying the move.
A man walks into a police station – “Hey I murdered a guy.”
What should be the next steps?
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 17, 2020
Great, so if it’s a serious statement that should be taken seriously, then it should perhaps be investigated seriously if civil rights are being violated by this serious institution.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 17, 2020
Princeton responded by essentially saying that “yeah, we are racist, but we don’t want to be punished for that.”
Princeton stands by their comments about being systemically racist, but naturally disagree that this should have any legal consequence. https://t.co/F3hMneQL7h
— C.C. Pecknold (@ccpecknold) September 17, 2020
Here was their conclusion.
The University disagrees and looks forward to furthering our educational mission by explaining why our statements and actions are consistent not only with the law, but also with the highest ideals and aspirations of this country.
— Princeton University (@Princeton) September 17, 2020
What these woke institutions want is to have their cake and eat it to. They want the media plaudits of proclaiming themselves to be admitted white supremacists while at the same time avoiding any of the consequences of that. Racism in a university’s practices is illegal. You can’t discriminate based on race, nationality, or religion. Devos has now painted Princeton into a corner whereby they will be forced to admit they aren’t actually systematically racist. If that’s the outcome, it’s a win, as it pushes back on the prevailing, left-wing narrative centering everything on nebulous, vague claims of systemic racism.
Honestly, this was an absolutely brilliant move. Watching these universities squirm under the weight of their own rhetoric is just amazing. Now they get to own their proclamations.
(Please follow me on Twitter! @bonchieredstate)
