An American Indian local to Olympia, Washington, claims that “progressive racism is alive” at Evergreen State College in a letter to the editor in the Olympian.
Rod Van Mechelen, a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe of Washington State, argues in the Olympian that progressive racism has taken ahold of Evergreen State College, where biology professor Bret Weinstein has faced backlash after refusing to participate in what the New York Times labeled “a day of racial segregation.”
“The progressive chickens at The Evergreen State College are coming home to roost, as demonstrated by the absurd protest against Bret Weinstein on May 24,” Van Mechelen wrote. “Those who espouse identity politics and celebrate diversity are causing more racism, not less.”
He argues that if he were a student at Evergreen State College, he believes he would face discrimination because he doesn’t “look Indian” despite his background and membership in the Cowlitz tribe.
Van Mechelen went on to reject a recently popularized definition of racism, which requires the combination of both prejudice and power. The traditional definition, “discrimination and prejudice towards people based on their race or ethnicity,” has largely fallen out of favor in academic and cultural circles.
Progressives on the left preach that racial minorities cannot be racist. And yet the racial tension between some minorities, and the racism this spawns, is well known.
Racism wears many faces and comes in every color. The way to end racism is not to excuse the racism of some because they are a minority, but for everybody to stop being racist. And that means everybody.
Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com
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