Tulane to postpone “Life of a Klansman” event after backlash
August 6, 2020
The Tulane School of Liberal Arts had planned on sponsoring an event with Edward Ball to discuss his book “Life of a Klansman: A Family History in White Supremacy.” The book narrates his family history of racism and white supremacy with a focus on Ball’s grandfather, New Orleanian Polycarp Constant Lecorgne. Ball compiles stories from Civil War-era New Orleans and Lecorgne’s involvement in militant violence against Black communities. Geographer Lydia Pelot-Hobbs, who specializes in Black geographies and racial capitalism, among other subjects, was also slated to join in the discussion.
Ball said that the story is about white people feeling a loss of status during the Civil Rights Movement and how that “became the tinder for the violence that permeated this man’s life” in an interview with nola.com. His reckoning with his family’s Ku Klux Klan and White League involvement involved a critical look at New Orleans’ past of white supremacy. Ball writes a familial account from the oppressor’s perspective of systemic racism being tied directly together with United States history and national identity.
“New Orleans is a glorious city,” Ball said according to the article. “But it is also a place where some of the factories of White supremacy were housed and where the thing itself was perfected. Less well known is its reputation as a place where whiteness was developed into a refined substance that could be reinforced by violence.”
The Tulane School of Liberal Arts announced the event on their Instagram page, where it was met with backlash from many students who saw the event as inappropriate and offensive, noting that SLA had not publicly scheduled similar speaking events centering Black perspectives. Upwards of 500 comments, mostly by students voicing their anger towards the event, were generated under the picture.
Ingeborg Hyde and Amanda Krantz, the vice president for academic affairs of Tulane’s Undergraduate Student Government and the president of the SLA Student Government, respectively, wrote an open letter that called for the event’s cancellation and for a reassessment of which speakers the university sponsor. They assert that the university should seek to uplift “Black voices and amplify the experiences of Black, Indigenous, people of color.” Their letter also noted the list of demands released by the Tulane Black Student Union and urged the Tulane administration to apologize to Black students, faculty and staff.
“We are passionate about making tangible changes regarding racial inequities and uplifting Black leaders and students on campus and are both personally focused on ridding USG of racial biases and inequities within our organization,” Hyde and Krantz told The Hullabaloo.
In response, Tulane postponed the event and posted a statement on their Instagram page, along with deleting the original post publicizing the event.
“We understand, however, that the event, as planned, has caused distress for many in our community, and we apologize. As a result, we’ve made the decision to postpone this event so we can reevaluate the best way to discuss the book and reframe our event to incorporate BIPOC voices from our community,” the statement read. “The event will be included as part of a larger series of discussions hosted by the School of Liberal Arts this academic year on racial equity and justice, which will feature a range of prominent scholars and writers of color.”
The BSU was among many organizations on campus that disapproved of the event.
“We did not think the event was appropriate,” President of BSU Raven Ancar, said. “Tulane needs to be centering Black voices at this time. There’s a national conversation that’s happening right now and it is shaping the future of race relations in our country. tBSU, through our 2020 Demands, is forcing Tulane to be apart of that conversation in order to dismantle white supremacist culture on campus. Compensating a white person who benefited from systemic racism is truly inappropriate, especially in the climate that we are in as a nation. Tulane SLA made the conscious choice to prioritize white voices by hosting this event, which allows the continuation of this KKK family history to be profitable, and that is very problematic.”
The event was scheduled for 6 p.m. on August 6, 2020, and has been postponed to an unannounced date.
b • Aug 20, 2020 at 5:25 pm
I am guessing that the students protesting this did not read the overview of the book which is clearly anti racist. They jumped to a conclusion based on the title of the book. This overreaction is exactly the kind of thing we should strive to avoid so that we can all have dialogue and understanding around this important issue. Cancelling these types of events will not further that discussion.
Stewart Trickett • Aug 15, 2020 at 3:24 pm
“It was a bit surprising at first to read this was cancelled due to backlash over racism until I understood it was about a sense of equity in voice”
Another excuse to censor and deplatform. Emily, you need to support freedom of speech better than this. One day you may have something that urgently needs saying, only to find yourself silenced with a gag if your own making.
Andrew • Aug 14, 2020 at 5:31 pm
My son is an incoming freshman and I’m really disappointed with the decision to postpone this event. I want my son to be exposed to many voices, black and white, liberal and conservative, while he is in college. Who knows what he could have learned from listening to this speaker? The solution is to add other speakers rather than cancel those speakers that do not fit into the narrow box of thought that is permitted. I want him to get an education, not an indoctrination. I hope this is not indicative of what his next four years will be like.
Emily • Aug 10, 2020 at 6:03 pm
It was a bit surprising at first to read this was cancelled due to backlash over racism until I understood it was about a sense of equity in voice, to which I find myself agreeing. My reaction to Edward Ball’s book had me feeling a bit sad black stories about the city and human rights have not traditionally garnered the same attention and my mind went to Albert Thrasher’s On to New Orleans, a book of over a decades worth of work on the 1811 slave revolt that evolved from the exploration of legends his and other families told. It really would be wonderful to engage with talks juxtaposing these two narratives or others similar. Thrasher or someone in his circle also wrote a book on the first American black newspaper, the New Orleans Tribute, which also plays in a bit of a vignette in Ball’s book. For me, in the two tales, what was the most interesting immediate contrast was the accessibility of archival resources and research materials. Thrasher I would say has far more significant citations for his work, but Ball’s primary sources landed in his lap as part of the privilege of coming from a white literate family while Thrasher’s primary sources came from oral tales and journals and documents of slave owners.
I do hope Tulane can find a way to balance the event, it would be a very cool experience!
Eric • Aug 10, 2020 at 12:32 pm
This is not a reflection of the Tulane I attended, or have supported over the last 40+ years. If cancel culture is going to be part of the University, I am quite sure I can find other things to give my time and resources to in the future.
Candice • Aug 8, 2020 at 12:19 pm
Tulane should not have caved to the leftist mob. Tulane is actively attacking freedom of expression and thought. The mob is now in control. Tulane is a hostile place for students who dont practice the radically divisive cultural marxism that the majority of students are about. It is sad that at an institution that is supposed to encourage differing perspectives, people of differing opinions are met with violence. It will soon show when Tulane loses all financial support and fades away as a reputable institution as the university’s administration and budget is controlled by a mob of radical left students.
Christopher H Smith • Aug 7, 2020 at 1:25 pm
Completely ridiculous. College is supposed to be a time to be challenged, not a time to be comfortable. This generation of university students is woefully unprepared for the rigors of life beyond the controlled environment and safe spaces of campus life.
Bob • Aug 7, 2020 at 12:28 am
Ibram Kendi endorsed the author and his book. Is he a racist?