Jackson Did Not Need a Rebuttal

Monday evening, I was fortunate enough to see Jesse Jackson speak at the Institute of Politics (IOP) on topics related to affirmative action. Unfortunately, the Kennedy School embarrassed themselves by making Jackson share the stage with Harvey Mansfield, Jr. '53.

Whether you agree with Jackson or not, he is a riveting speaker who makes his points in lucid and direct fashion, and always makes his speeches relevant to current events. Even Monday, in a speech which was low-key by his standards, he kept the audience captivated and focused. Mansfield, on the other hand, trotted out the same tired and pathetic arguments against affirmative action that he probably gives in his daily lectures. Nothing new here. Jackson's comment to Mansfield probably summed up most of the audience's sentiment: "After hearing you, I'm not surprised white men are worried about competition." At the conclusion of the program, Jackson commented brusquely that by having Mansfield share the podium, "the Dean [Carnesale] is obviously still trying to give help to white men." Jackson was indignant, and rightly so.

What purpose was served by Mansfield's presence? His arguments and indeed his presence were irrelevant and in the end proved distracting. Let's be clear about this: Jackson was the featured speaker, and he alone was the reason that people waited on line a full hour before the program began. He does not need Mansfield in order to draw a crowd. Is the staid IOP so wary of Jackson's message that they feel it must be tempered by someone like Mansfield? In my opinion, the Kennedy School showed extremely poor form by asking Mansfield to provide a rebuttal. Where was the rebuttal when Barbra Streisand spoke? How about Warren Christopher? Why didn't Harvard feel compelled to offer the arguments of a faculty member in those circumstances? On Monday, the organizers showed extremely poor form and indeed a lack of respect for Jackson; ironically they offered up a totally outclassed Mansfield for public sacrifice at the same time.

Jackson is without peer as a speaker on national issues. He has been a presidential candidate, has resolved international incidents, is founder of the Rainbow Coalition and is arguably the most visible and eloquent spokesperson for civil rights in our time. He is equally comfortable at Burke High School, the downtown jail, and the Harvard Law School. Surely, he deserved single billing at the Kennedy School that evening. Joseph W. Hogan   Graduate Student in Biostatics