UIC Pulls Funding for Farrakhan Event
In a last minute decision that caught a noted, high profile figure by surprise, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) pulled its funding from an upcoming event, where Minister Lewis Farrakhan would have been the keynote speaker, citing student opposition and anti-Semitism for its decision.
"Without expressing any disdain toward the university, several other organizations have been eager to host the event, so we'll just find another venue," remarked Dr. Boyce Watkins in an Op Ed piece on the matter." "I couldn't help but see this incident as a reminder of how black self-sufficiency contrasts with our 400-year old American tradition of protecting white supremacy."
Co-owner of the Your Black World Network and noted finance professor at Syracuse University, Watkins was responding to UIC's stance against Farrakhan's involvement in the forum.
UIC claims to have received a slew of complaints from students about Farrakhan's appearance there as well as complaints about the forum's title in its decision that comes just weeks after Min. Farrakhan addressed more than 20,000 people during the Nation of Islam's annual Saviors' Day at the UIC Pavilion, covering a variety of topics during a three-hour address from current events to race relations and an economic plan calling for African Americans to invest in land.
Farrakhan reportedly reached out to gang leaders during the speech asking for assistance in protecting the Nation of Islam's interests.
Bill Burton with UIC's media department said the Black Student Union at the university cancelled the event but could not clarify and verify and information beyond that.
Dr. Watkins organized the March 30 community forum titled Wealth, Education, Family, & Community: A New Paradigm for Black America and invited Min. Farrakhan as a featured guest speaker because of the Nation of Islam's track record of community engagement in Chicago.
Designed to provide strategic action points to members of the community in an effort to resolve pressing matters directly impacting African- Americans, the forum is part of Dr. Watkin's Building Outstanding Men and Boys (B.O.M.B.) Family Empowerment Series.
Watkins, also known as "The People's Scholar," is one of the leading African-American financial scholars and social commentators in America and has published a multitude of scholarly articles and social commentary on reputable global platforms and makes regular appearances on CNN, BET, MSNBC, Fox News, and additional mainstream television, radio, and online networks to discuss politics, finances, education, and social issues that affect the African-American community.
The new venue for the event is still to be determined. Poet Madam Prezident is scheduled to open the forum.
By Deborah Bayliss
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