Editor’s note: This article is a response to a letter published in the opinion section earlier this week titled “Declaration Center promotes academic exploration of freedom, aims to increase viewpoint diversity” authored by Steven Skultety, director of the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom, UM professor of philosophy and chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion.
When a university faculty member, Steven Skultety, wrote to The Daily Mississippian last week in an effort to promote the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom on campus, I felt that a few claims and arguments made warranted a response. It is critical readers access the letter that inspired this response before continuing further.
“Higher education is often seen as championing the perspective that justice should be understood as “equity.” Some propose that equity alone should be the foundational commitment of higher education, and they seek to transform all levels of education accordingly.”
This is a fair point. Upon further reflection, I agree that in some ways higher education has fallen short in truly championing equity, especially for historically marginalized groups.
The recent Supreme Court decision to prohibit affirmative action is a major setback in efforts to promote equity through higher education admissions. This suggests the highest levels of government are not fully supportive of equity-focused policies.
Many selective colleges still have significant gaps in representation and completion rates between white students and minorities. This indicates systemic inequities likely still exist on many campuses.
Rising tuition and levels of student debt disproportionately impact low-income students and students of color. Higher education often seems more focused on revenue rather than access. I ask, how equitable is that?
Curricula and campus culture changes sometimes meet resistance from faculty, administrators and students. This slows progress in making all those involved with the university feel fully welcome and represented.
While no institution is perfect, you make fair critiques. There are still systemic barriers to true equity in higher education. Consistent focus and accountability around these issues will be important going forward. But it is more than reasonable — in many ways, it is a responsibility — to question whether equity has genuinely been made an overriding priority and achieved to the degree that some may claim.
“Contemporary themes can lead students to think that one’s race or gender is what primarily defines a person and that race and gender drive all aspects of our sense of self. Race and gender are important, and no one can deny that many have suffered intolerable indignities and horrors for these traits. The human condition, however, features a number of other sources from which we find core meaning and identity. The Declaration Center provides students with the opportunity to wrestle with many ways in which the content of one’s character and the development of one’s intellect shape our lives.”
Race and gender profoundly shape opportunities and how individuals are treated by society. Minimizing this influence can negate the real systemic inequities people face based on these identities. That said, race and gender do not solely dictate everything about a person. Identities are complex and intersectional, with many contributing factors.
While it’s worthy to promote a new way to find ourselves, I question the role of the Declaration of Independence in defining our individual selves. Sure, it’s been used to define the nation for centuries at this point, but when you apply it to a reduced level like this, more issues arise than anything else.
How can the declaration be used as a compass or guide when it’s also been used as a tool of oppression? While the Declaration of Independence has historical significance, using a single document authored by a subset of 18th-century white men overlooks the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape identity today. What’s more, declaring the primacy of one text as the gateway to self-discovery runs counter to the reality of intersection many face today in real life.
By any measure, a discussion about freedom in our country will naturally come to a head on the topic of race. Still, the concept of freedom can never be treated with the same magnitude as race, because freedom is not physically on us and does not affect us the same way in daily life.
Justice Rose is the opinion editor. He is a junior majoring in journalism from Madison, Miss.
