Join the National Association of Scholars as we release the first case study of our project, Separate but Equal, Again: Neo-Segregation in American Higher Education, which documents the resegregation of American college campuses. Our first case study documents the path Yale University forged from early integration efforts to neo-segregation.
The event will be hosted by the Kirby Center in Washington, D.C. It will begin with a reception at 6:00 pm, followed by a keynote presentation at 7:00 pm and a Q & A session.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center
227 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
Wine, Beer, and Hors d’oeuvre
6:00 PM
Main Presentation
7:00 PM
Keynote Address
Peter Kirsanow
Presentation Speeches
Dion J. Pierre
Peter W. Wood
About the Project
The National Association of Scholars has been working on an in-depth study of the neo-segregation of U.S. colleges and universities. Neo-segregation is the voluntary racial segregation of students, aided by college institutions, into exclusive dormitories, common spaces, classes, and events.
This first case study tracks the rise of neo-segregation at one ivy league institution. It is the longest of the three main case studies running 172 pages. The project also includes a database tracking growing segregationist efforts at 173 other colleges and universities.
The resegregation of college campuses came about through the hurried and inept ways elite universities attempted to achieve racial integration in the early and mid-1960s after Brown v. Board. In the rush to overcome the legacy of racial discrimination, college presidents and admissions directors suspended admissions standards for minority students. The immediate consequence was a high failure and low retention ratio for the few dozen students admitted. Colleges attempted remedy by remediation and special counselors to build esprit de corps. This effort failed to produce academic success but proved efficient in building the organizational base of grievance politics on campus. Student associations rooted in resentment against the universities sprang up and led the way to the creation of the first ethnic studies programs, demands for admissions quotas, the hiring of minority faculty, and what we know today as the “diversity and inclusion” apparatus.
A pattern was created in which black students gained concessions and institutional power by fitting themselves into the role of permanently aggrieved. Step by step, the universities’ well-intentioned efforts at racial integration were turned upside down. These efforts formed the path to more entrenched segregation, not enforced by law but college administrators and grievance structure. Of course, most minority students were never consulted about this. They are simply conscripted to the new racially segregated normal.
This launch event will focus on the findings of our first case study and our survey of 173 other colleges and universities. Other cases studies will soon follow.
About the Speakers
Peter Kirsanow is a partner with Benesch’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. Mr. Kirsanow was appointed by George W. Bush to the National Labor Relations and Board (NLRB) and to his first term on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where he has served three consecutive terms. Mr. Kirsanow received his Bachelor's Degree from Cornell University and his law degree from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.
Dion J. Pierre is a Research Associate at the National Association of Scholars. He is the co-author of Separate But Equal, Again: Neo-Segregation in American Higher Education. His writing has appeared in National Review, Minding the Campus, and Campus Reform.
Peter W. Wood is the president of the National Association of Scholars. Previously, he served as provost of The King’s College in New York City and as a tenured professor of anthropology at Boston University. He is the author of A Bee in the Mouth: Anger in America Now, Diversity: The Invention of a Concept and co-author of Separate But Equal, Again: Neo-Segregation in American Higher Education. Dr. Wood is attended Haverford College, Rutgers University, and the University of Rochester, where received his Ph.D. in anthropology.
