Race on Campus

Why Howard University hasn’t spoken up about Kamala Harris’s presidential run

• In the two weeks since Vice President Kamala Harris became the presumed Democratic presidential nominee, her alma mater, one of the nation’s most prominent HBCUs, has remained silent. The quiet is a sharp contrast from after her inauguration as vice president, when the administration pledged “unwavering support.” The administrators at Howard have to navigate the complexities of remaining politically neutral, since their funding is overreliant on Congress. Our Jasper Smith reports.
• Mizzou is disbanding DEI work in a pre-emptive move. The University of Missouri at Columbia drew national attention a decade ago for racial-justice protests that prompted, among other things, the resignation of its president and chancellor and resulted in several initiatives to diversify the campus and improve graduation rates for students of color. Now the college will no longer employ a vice chancellor for inclusion, diversity, and equity. Staff members who worked in that division will be reassigned to other departments. The college has also ended the use of diversity statements and ended race-conscious admissions and scholarships. The changes are a concession at a time when college leaders face pressure from state lawmakers who want to ban DEI efforts. Our J. Brian Charles has the story.