Ogletree joins UB’s conversation about diversity

Charles Ogletree, prominent thinker and author on issues of race and social justice in America, sat down with members of the UB community yesterday to discuss the intense debate and activism taking place in cities and on college campuses nationwide.

His thoughtful remarks in Baird Hall came during an informal question-and-answer session offered at the invitation of President Satish K. Tripathi prior to Ogletree’s delivery of UB’s 40th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration address.

More than 70 people attended the hour-long discussion, moderated by University Communications staffer Bert Gambini, during which Ogletree fielded questions on topics ranging from the discrimination endured silently by people of color each day to the role of higher education in race relations.

“People talk about the fact that there’s a certain mission for black students and a certain mission for white students, as if they’re different,” said Ogletree, the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. “The reality is that diversity is this keystone of what makes a faculty great, what makes a student body great, what makes staff great.”

In response to a question about last semester’s controversial “White Only. Black Only.” student art project that has elicited several months of debate and dialogue at UB, Ogletree recounted an incident at Harvard Law School in which someone placed strips of black tape over tenured black faculty portraits displayed in a school hallway. The intent of the vandalism is not known, but Ogletree said he is among a minority of the law school faculty who have advocated for dialogue and understanding — not punishment — if the perpetrators, suspected to be students, are identified.

“My view is that students have every right to freedom of speech, and that they should say what they want to say and do what they want to do,” Ogletree said. “The same thing that has happened (at UB) has happened at campuses around the country — that has happened at Harvard.  

 “That is exactly what students do to make people understand that diversity makes a big difference in staff, in faculty, in students all around the university.”

After the incident, a diverse group of “students for inclusion” sought out Ogletree for guidance on what steps they should take in an attempt to improve Harvard’s campus environment. His advice was consistent with his writings on racial justice: “Do what you have to do to preserve your rights to speech.”

On the issue of police violence against people of color, so prevalent in the news, Ogletree said more attention needs to be given to women of color who experience violence at the hands of police. “We need to talk more about women who have been arrested, harassed and killed,” he said. “Women have a forgotten legacy about how much they’ve had to endure.”

At one point during the discussion UB senior Melissa Kathan, the student representative on the UB Council and a member of the SUNY student assembly, asked Ogletree for advice on how students could best advocate for greater diversity at UB and other institutions across SUNY.

“You need to walk around the university to see what is wrong and what needs to be corrected,” Ogletree said. “It won’t all happen in your time, but you can plant the seed in (future students) to make them think that this has to be a university that’s inclusive and that respects the right of everybody to be part of the community. I think that makes a tremendous difference.”

At the conclusion of the conversation, Tripathi thanked Ogletree for helping the UB community move forward with a campus-wide dialogue about how to create a safe and welcoming campus climate for all people.

“As a university community, we know it is critical for us to actively reaffirm our shared values of diversity, inclusion and mutual respect — and to live and model those values every day,” Tripathi said.