YBW Coalition Readers Weigh in on my Tenure Case – My Beloved Soldiers Speak up

As I state on the video introduction for YourBlackWorld.com, “There is no one way to be black”.  This statement implies that even those in our family who don’t agree with my position have a right to express their opinions.  Such is the essence of freedom of thought, which requires discipline for us to maintain (even I get tempted to discount opinions that seem misguided, as I am learning and growing myself).  At any rate, I want to give a very sincere “thank you” to those who’ve sent emails in support of my tenure situation at Syracuse.  Again, I  must re-emphasize the following:

1) DO NOT feel sorry for me….I am fine.  I’ve never depended on some random university to pay my bills, as we should realize that it is not in the interest of our community’s “national security” to rely on our historical oppressors to provide things that we critically need (the easiest way to control another man is for that man to know that you are the reason his children get to eat every day). I built my business interests because I wanted to be a truly independent Black man and a serious scholar.  Academic bureaucracy sometimes gets in the way of true scholarship, the same way that the pettiness of church affairs can get in the way of truly serving God….hence, Jesus is killed in public with many so-called pastors cheering on his murder.  I will never be as great as Jesus, but I firmly believe in the phrase, “What would Jesus do?”  I truly believe that Jesus would do his best to do what’s right, he would stand up for the weak and he would speak for those who have no voice.  That is what I try to do every day of my life.

2) This issue is NOT ABOUT ME.  I am not fighting for my own tenure, for I’ve never needed tenure to validate me as a scholar.  Rather, this fight is for all of the Black scholars around the nation who are being denied tenure on unfair grounds.  It is for our children, who have a right to learn from Black professors without having to take African American studies as a major.  It is to break the chains off of our most brilliant Black scholars, who are locked away in their offices writing research papers that no one is ever going to read, all because they’ve been threatened with severe punishment if they choose to use their intellect to solve critical problems in the Black community.  I encourage you to do an accountability request from your alma maters and ask them why they seem to only find good Black basketball players, but can’t find any “qualified” Black faculty (using fundamentally flawed measures of the term “qualified”….you’d be amazed at what some others consider to be qualified).  Our children deserve to be educated by Black people too (I’ve never had a Black professor in any class I took in 13 years of post-secondary education.  It shouldn’t be that difficult).

3) I am not angry with Syracuse University.  While I do not agree with their decision, the truth is that many in America are socially conditioned to be frightened by uncompromising and outspoken African American men. I am from the south, so I am used to the disease of racism.  So, Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s reaction to me is no different from the reaction that the university had to Jim Brown when he was here many years ago.  I knew what I was getting myself into, as my reading about the lives of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Harry Edwards and others allowed me to see, in advance, how White America was going to react to the Dr. Boyce Watkins brand of scholarship.  Even when you try to speak in love, simply standing up for Black people in a forthright way leads others to place you as an enemy of the establishment….that’s why Dr. King was murdered.  But remember: had it not been for the sacrifices of others, I would not be here.  Now it’s time for me to make my sacrifice for our children.  I truly believe this is going to be the best year of my entire life, and I am sincerely looking forward to it. 

Thank you and God bless you for all of your support.  Your comments are below….names have been removed to protect your privacy. 

v  Dear Dr. Boyce:

Hang in there. Also, why don't you send this (or a similar missive) to Vice President Joseph Biden, a prestigious Syracuse alumnus. It would be
interesting to see if he responds. Keep up the good work. Thanks for your voice.

v  Sorry to read this. We need to find a way to harness the "leveraging power" of Black collegiate athletes." Also, can "Letters to the Editor" be sent to the student newspaper?

v  Brother,
I sit here at work and read and am I saddened – I am not as sure as to what, and how I feel. However, I know that great things are in store for you things that only the divine being can and will provide and that Syracuse cannot take away. There are situations that I can speak of that has happened to me – in the same context of this whole story- all said your issue is of a much greater fight. With mine it was my own people who turned their back on me- in the work environment when I was called all sorts of names…. Yes, names I dare not utter- I would think I was on a plantation.

For me it was a shocker and I did not know the correct procedures and steps to take- in a working environment and no one told me how to deal with this issue at work. So, I was left out in the cold by my own peers………and I will not go on. I know for a fact that prayers work wonders – and wonders never cease. I look at it like this sometimes in life in order to go forward, you have to take a step back, maybe not too far back, maybe you could and was making great waves at Syracuse- Tsunamis even, and people fear what they know not of most.

You are what people fear an educated black man! You may be down but not out, and Syracuse and all the people in powers that be who sit in their ivory towers will see you rise instead of fall, and they will look back and said “ I wish….. If only I knew…. If only I had spoken up……

On 05/14/09- you will look back at this day and thank them for letting you go, because there is greater need for you elsewhere and God has your destiny not man.

 

v  My frustrations are many.... my understanding on of your situation are clear.  Keep praying, keep talking and keep moving....If I can help in any way... please call

 

v  Hi Dr. Boyce,
You remind me of my father!!! Stand strong in the struggle, and let us know what we need to do to help and stand with you by taking action!
God bless you!

 

v  I truly appreciate your sacrifice.  The battle is long and hard, but God has given you the knowledge, wisdom, and strength to carry on. 

v  Do not give up Dr. Boyce. I am sure your next job is waiting for you.  Your leaving is their lost. You have made your mark and now it is time to move on to better things.

 

v  Thank you Boyce for standing up. I know it's not easy.
 

v  Boyce,
I am sorry to hear that.  However, as I received a fortune cookie today "In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity."
Do you and remember this that no University (e.g. Syracuse) defines who you are, God does.

 

v  Keep your head up!  No need to ever sacrifice your integrity.  I'm proud of you wish I could do more for you besides pray for you.  Don't know if you remember, I'm still in the middle of an EEOC lawsuit with the racist environment I stood up to.  It always gets so ugly, but the good part is, when you look in the mirror... nothing but pride is reflected.  Good Luck, you will rise to even higher heights.

I'm sure you're disappointed and hurt and it's okay. You have such a positive attitude and you're a soul of Light. I dare to say that the Creator may have bigger plans for you than tenure at Syracuse. This is only a stepping stone.

 

v  Dr Boyce, I am sad that you were dismissed from Syracuse. I am from Niagara Falls, NY and you may be familiar with two basketball players on the men's team from my city. They do not know what a gifted, powerful, intellectual and caring scholar they have dismissed. Shame on them.
 

v  Dear Dr. B...
Although we've never met, I am so very proud of you for not backing down or out of this fight.  Syracuse University has definitely proven to be too
provincial for an intellectual of your caliber and I am sure this dismissal will only open up other and bigger doors for you.

Any school that would bow to the bullying of a hate-monger such as Bill O’Reilly does not deserve to have you in their midst.  It is unfortunate that
the school's leadership has chosen to allow such a paternalistic attitude to prevail in lieu of true scholarship, and enlightened discourse.  That they seem to not fully understand the purpose of a university will not be lost on the talent they will not be able to attract in the future.  They also seem to be under the misguided impression that your dismissal will - at best only anger and keep quite a handful of black folks.  Nevertheless time and reality will prove that in the 21st Century, all businesses exist in an era in which talented people of all colors are choosing to affiliate themselves with inclusive enterprises and choosing to disassociate themselves with organizations whose environments harkens back to the Flintstones era. 

Obviously the leadership of the Whitman School of Management has not been keeping abreast with the alumni discontent voiced loudly for the past several weeks regarding Arizona State University's treatment of President Obama.  Albeit he has proven to be the epitome of class and grace in his handling of their racist behavior towards him.  Nevertheless, a great many ASU alumni have voiced their collective disdain for the University's leadership and vowed never to give another penny to their alma mater.  Some have even written the University out of their wills and have pledged to use their discretionary time and spheres of influence to dissuade others from attending, working at and/or donating to ASU in the near and long-range future.

So hang in there, my Brother.  With your mind, your voice and your following you clearly will have lots of other options and opportunities.  Just keep us informed of wherever you choose to land.  This revolution isn't happening in a specific place - it's happening everywhere and it's not just attracting black folks anymore.

v  Dr. Watkins -
Always appreciating your words of wisdom. As a 1982 SU alum, I must tell you that I was disappointed, nit not surprised that you were denied tenure.  But, as usual, you move forward with grace and POWER!

Praying for you as you continue to stay true to yourself and the call God has on your life.

 

v  Thank you for the update. A thinking Black man in academe is bad for White racism. Stay strong my brother.

v  Thank you Dr. Boyce for handling the dismissal intelligently, and not coming undone.   Know that when one door closes, another opens, and has better opportunity.  I cannot believe that no one is doing anything about confronting Syracuse on their racist.  Practices. It is going to be ok, because ‘’God does not like ugly’’ and this was a very Ugly act on their part. Hang in there Dr. Watkins, the best is yet to come.

 

v  I am so sorry. I am also disheartened yet encouraged by your decision to continue speaking out in the name of and cause for justice. For all of the accomplishments and progress we've made thus far, this serves only as a reminder that there is so much more work to do because the world still isn't ready for a Black man who is free enough to tell you what's on his mind; for a Black man who isn't a coward and won't be shackled by threats.

You bravely took on the establishments of greed, white power and institutional racism, put some definite cracks in the seemingly impenetrable wall, and refused to shut up when the masters rang the bell. You aren't a puppet and you didn't dance a jig. That takes courage, a certain kind of courage in a global recession where jobs are nearly as precious as oxygen; but you remind me that principles are priceless.

It hurts that you have to pay such an unfair price for dissent and free speech, which are more American and patriotic than baseball and beer, but keep your head up. Your labor is not in vain. I will definitely keep you in my prayers, and please know that there is NO weapon formed against you that will prosper.

Press on!

 

v  Wow, not surprised, just sorry.  Thank you for standing, many of us are standing with you. I so respect a Brother who can and will make the sacrifice that you have decided to make.  I always believed that if you are really good you will stand up for what's right, because you have choices.  Hopefully you will consider an HBCU, practically Tuskegee.  That's a selfish wish, my son is a junior at Tuskegee and I'd love for him to be taught by you.

God bless you & may you continue your good work.  I may not agree with everything you say, but I agree with most.  And even if people don't agree with your views, you still have the "unalienable right" according to this country, to voice them and you damn sure should not lose your job over them.  Good luck on your press run & see if you can get on the Keith Olberman Show.  He's up on the sports angle and he can help you get at Bill-O.

Dr Boyce

I LOVE THE WORK YOU DO; I AM IN SUPPORT OF YOU WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU.

 

v  Boyce, keep speaking truth to power, as I am sure you will, wherever you land next, within or outside academia. My years at Penn State, after having founded a group that fought PSU 11 years to force it to give up its financial ties to a racist apartheid South Africa, taught me, then a grad student, how hard it was to get most  faculty to take positions viv a vis the power structure. Dealing with academia is in many ways worse than with corporate America, even though understand that I say this as a former union organizer. What I mean, and you know clearly, is that Rousseau is correct when speaking of chains wrapped in garlands of flowers. Academia knows well the chain wrapping and packaging process. But chains are still chains and academia is not big on liberation.

I am sure that the lives you have touched there will carve a better and more hopeful path into the future than the school as an institution will ever do. Best wishes as you wind down this part of your journey and move onward and outward. And keep the bastards squirming, wherever you go.

v  Dear Dr Boyce

I am shocked to receive your email but in a way I’m not because I sensed they never really stood up for you and gave you genuine support.  I am saddened, though, that Syracuse (or any place of learning) could act in this way towards you.  My knowledge of the academic world is limited but I have no doubt that you will know exactly what to do.

v  Listen Brother Watkins, we all answer to one God! The God I know is a loving God, and each time these things have happened to me, I have had bigger and better dreams placed in front of me that I never even thought of. I have read your writings and followed you for the last couple years and there is no doubt you are much brighter than myself. I am in the process of applying to schools, and am currently ABD in Accounting.

I plan to teach, and between you and me, I am applying to teach online, the need for my major (and your should be the same) is very strong. If you continue to do what you are doing now, sign a few contracts to teach adjunct you could make 100K (not a lot of money), but you will have the freedom to remain the voice our community needs.

You are very special, I love you, and as a people we love you and will pray you and yours are touched by the glory of God!

v  Dr. Watkins:
I am an admirer of your work (and your spirit) for a long time. What can we do to help you, in this hour?

v  To Dr. Watkins,

I am sorry that you were denied tenure.  As you well know tenure is political not meritorious.  I have seen instructors granted tenure whose records of achievement were without distinction.  I have seen tenure granted to those who were simply politically connected.
 
You must realize, recognize, and accept that you have a greater role.  You must continue to grow nationally and internationally as an activist.  You must continue to develop as a speaker whose services rival those of Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas.  You must continue to make television appearances AND you must make your mark in the world of economics.  Namely, you must make sure that you have a regular presence on MSNBC, Bloomberg, and hopefully Kudlow.
 
Finally, you must make your mark in the most difficult arena there is.  You must publish and break through on the New York Times best seller list.
 
Tenure is small potatoes.  The real reward, the real fees are in speaking and publishing. 
 
Take a break.  Take a vacation.  Remember all the famous people who had one door close and an even greater one open.  Remember Tavis Smiley, Lionel Ritchie.  Black America can hardly remember the name a single tenured professor.  But they sure as hell can remember the name Dr. Watkins.  

v  I wish you the best, even if I don't agree with most of what you say.  Keep your head up.

v  I am so terribly sorry to hear this. God bless you in your efforts. Stand strong!

v  Dear Dr. Watkins:

“Welcome to the world of those "Left Behind."  Ask former VP Al Gore, Sally Jesse Raphael, Tavis Smiley and so many others how it feels?  What took you out wasn't personal it was business.  I look forward to supporting your efforts in the future and I strongly suggest you seek the guidance and counsel of others who suffered a similar fate..."It's an opportunity."

v  Thank you Dr. Boyce for remaining committed to what you believe is right, thereby enlightening African Americans and the world. We could benefit greatly with more dedicated, educated, out spoken, committed, people like you.  May God continue to bless and guide you.

v  Continue your work Boyce....as you said in your email, you do have a lot of support. If I can assist in any way, please call....we have all been there (and survived) and you will it as well. Have to tell you about my struggle to get promoted but another time.

v  Dear Dr. Boyce:

First of all let me say that I am an ardent supporter and welcome your emails and concern for young people. My son is a former NCAA basketball player, Div. 1 who always felt exploited by the system and eventually gave it up citing that very reason as a contributing factor. Notwithstanding his decision, of course he lost his scholarship and although my position was that he should use the system to get his degree, I left the decision up to him. I am proud to say that he graduated from college last year and is now applying for graduate school.

He is also a participant in the class action Jason White vs. NCAA litigation. I was wondering had you heard anything because the matter had been presented to the federal district judge presiding over the case for approval of the settlement reached in the case.

Finally, I am an attorney who has specialized through the years in the areas of civil rights and employment discrimination. Although I am not licensed in New York and would not endeavor to take on a case (I am pursuing other interests beyond law) I would like to extend to you whatever counsel, support and advice I can give you. I understand the fight; I've been in many myself.

If you feel the desire to speak to me personally please do not hesitate to call me.

v  DAMN...DAMN...DAMN Dr Watkins. I hate to say it but...I'm not the least bit surprised. What's sad is not only are they losing you but our black students are going to be the ones effected because they actually got to see someone that looked and talked like them that was doing great things. Now we're going back to whites saying "you can do and be anything" and the only people we see doing it are whites! Ain't that a bitch?

Let me calm down. We definitely need to do a video on this. Speaking of videos.........when in the hell are we going to hook up! Both of us together are pitiful.

v  Dr. Boyce,

You are to be commended on all your efforts in bringing to our communities the "politics at hand". You remind me of the 70s where people gathered around each other for the common cause of unity. You took the hits and criticisms from inside and out, yet you have prevailed triumphantly into a scholar who mentors all ages of people who will be overcomes for a lifetime.
 
I'm proud of YOU MY BROTHER! As Jessie Jackson says "let keep hope alive".

v  Bro. Watkins, without struggle there is no progress. Struggle includes sacrifice of security, comfort and acceptance. The greater good is the progress of the race.

I am a 64 year old Afrikan in America, located in the part of hell known as Milwaukee Wisconsin. I have paid a price for taking stands similar to yours, refusing to remain silent in the face of obvious injustice. Whereas I was once an elected judge, my public outcry made me the target of a reactionary Aryan who exploited a white supremacist atmosphere fed daily by six to eight hours of right-wing talk radio Rush Limbaugh wannabees. I was consequently defeated in an election some 13 years ago and I now work as whats called a reserve judge, similar to the idea substitute teaching.

I have supplemented my income in various ways down through the years and have no qualms about the righteousness of my cause or second guess about whether I would do it all over again. I still speak out when the need calls and shall do so until death overtakes me.

I write to say hold to you hold on to your determination, your commitment to truth and justice. Our great teachers, Cheikh Anta Diop, Theophile Obenga, Jacob Carruthers, Martin Luther King and others have taught us that the universe is founded on these principles of truth, justice, righteousness and the like. So, be encouraged. Hold tight. We will win!!

v  Dude, we love you anyway, somebody will give you tenure. Eff Syracuse, my daughter was going to go there, but guess what?  Not now

v  Good Afternoon.  I am truly sorry to hear about your tenure denial, but as Bill Cosby told Tavis Smiley when he was let go from BET.  Better things are coming your way.  I really don't know a lot about you, after reading your email I will definitely make it a point to find out more.   I am basically writing to say that I am proud of the fact that you stood your ground and did not compromise your beliefs just for mere acceptance from people who obviously are not worthy of your presence.  May you continue to prosper and know that there are many people like me who support you. 

v  Dear Dr. Boyce

I am sorry you did not get tenure and have lost your job BUT I know there is something out there better for you and I know you are going to land on your intellectual and intelligent feet. 

I am disappointed to hear that Syracuse University denied your tenure, and failed to rise to the occasion of support for a man as wise and educated as yourself with the courage and honor to introspectively examine the crisis of abuse in the United States, and post colonial domination of our minds, and our bodies, and the use of the bodies of our young gifted athletes, with such acute and precise critical examination of widespread use of our children for the sport of capital gains, and modern day slavery without rewards.  

Your writings and ideas of analytical perception are on the level of many of our great leaders and saviors, who have came again, and again to bring us home to the right minds, whereby, we were lost by a need for greed.  Dr Franz Fannon, "Wretched of the Earth", Psychiatrist M.D., writes about his work in Algeria and South Africa and how he found it would take many years for the people of colonial oppression to come back to their right minds, and that includes the victimizer.  J.A. Rogers in his writings about the Great African Nations and People, talks about what was lost and taken, and Chancellor Williams, Destruction of the Black Civilization, Dubois, "Africa," and former President of Ghana, Kwame Nhrumah, wrote” Who Controls the Wealth," hated by European nations for his outspoken behavior on the exploitation of African people globally, and slept on the trains in New York City, until he got a job teaching at NY City College and worked with Dr Ben Benjamin. You are thinking like the great MLK Jr., and Malcolm X, and Marcus Garvy, and other great leaders.  We are called somehow to bring our people back home and recognize our minds are part of the Holy Spirit and must come back home.

The stories you have written are precise for the time and bring us forward to the place we are supposed to be and my most excellent is the Black Female Pilots, as opposed to the Beating of Rihanna by Chris Brown. Clearly defines why we should be more creative and less destructive or ourselves and others.  Few people realized or know that Bessie Coleman was the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic and first Black Female pilot who flew often out of Florida.  Aviation being a symbol of education and technological efficiency in its highest form along with medicine and said to be inscribed by pictures on the tombs and pyramids of Egypt.  You have truly walked in the spirit of one of our great saviors, "Jesus," "Whoever believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me.  And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.  I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the DARKNESS.  I do not judge anyone who hears my words and does not keep them, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.  The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge, for I have not spoken on my own, both the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment about what to say and what to speak.   And I know that his commandment is eternal life.  What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."  You have my support brother. This is just another reminded that we are clearly not living in a post racial society as so many think just because we have a president of AFRICAN decent. We live in amerikkka and higher education institutions are simply an extension of that. We must keep fighting. We will keep fighting.  You have my support brother; this is just another reminded that we are clearly not living in a post racial society as so many think just because we have a president of AFRICAN decent. We live in amerikkka and higher education institutions are simply an extension of that. We must keep fighting. We will keep fighting.

v  Dear Dr. Boyce,

First, I would like to thank you for the information, tips, and encouragement, that you share and have shared with your Black family, through emails and the media so often; it is truly a blessing.

I am very sad and sicken to hear that you will not receive tenure at Syracuse University.  Also, it is sad that a school of such caliber is willing to sacrifice an excellent instructor, in order to keep true to and promote its racial hatred, sinful sickness, and total ignorance.  It is their loss and definitely your gain.  In reality, a school with such a mindset does not deserve your dedication and hard work.  Your dismissal simply means that there are bigger, better, and greater opportunities awaiting you. 

In many subtle ways, the school may feel intimidated and threatened by your intellect and your perceptions.  As we are all aware, it is not the easiest pill for the White world to swallow when an intelligent Black man (not to mention one with a Ph.D. in finance----congratulations) speaks up and conducts himself with dignity, pride, and confidence.

Keep your faith strong, your head held high, and your chin up, as I am sure you will do, and continue to move forward for the greater opportunities and Blessings that lie ahead.  If there is anyway, that I can do to help you to spread your message and further your cause, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am the mother of two children close to your age, and I dislike it very much when anyone child or children are being mistreated.

Thank you for being a good example for many people, but definitely for our Black families, especially our young Black men (I wish my son would adopt your attitude and mindset) we are very proud of you, as I am sure your family is too.

Take care and keep in touch.  May you have continued blessings in all your future endeavors.

v  I am saddened but not surprised, for reasons we have discussed over the last year or so.  I'm in no position to give advice, but I believe that you threw away an incredible opportunity to become one of the nation's most respected economists, in exchange for trying to be a celebrity. This is not criticism...just an observation, and this is just a temporary setback.  You will have to eat a little humble pie before you are ready to see the world for what it is, instead of what you want it to be. Your association with assorted flakes and problem children would cause any institution to have reservations about your commitment to the institution.

One door closes, another one opens.  You have one year to decide what you want to do.  You are going to have to decide within the next thirty days whether you want to be a practitioner, or stay in teaching.  If you want to be a practitioner, your prospects are good, but you'll have to start at the bottom.  If you want to stay in teaching, well...to be honest, that's going to be difficult, but not impossible.  If you can afford it, try taking a sabbatical to do legitimate research.  This is a logical "cover" for tenure denial.  You will tell your next employer, that the pursuit for tenure clashed with establishing yourself as

Above all...leave with all flags flying and a sense of dignity. Don't be bitter, and don't post anymore comments like the ones you posted today. Instead, remind people of your significant achievements, and talk about them every chance you get.  People get turned down for tenure all the time, for far, far less.  If you poison the well on the way out of the door, you will close many other potential opportunities.  Expect your closest colleagues to treat you like you suddenly have the plague, and the power of the university to "hurt" you is awesome.  You can't imagine what they can do to you, from accusing you of plagiarism, to sexual harassment.  DON'T USE A SCHOOL COMPUTER, OR SCHOOL E-MAIL, FOR ANYTHING!! DON'T EVEN OPEN PERSONAL E-MAIL ON A SCHOOL COMPUTER!

v  Boyce, what's up?  I have one thing to say:  Man cannot and Will Not Destroy God's Plan for Your life!  Hang Strong!

 

v  Boyce, I have been extremely busy; however, I want to make sure that you are ok.  I know how hard you have fought to become a professor, but do not, you here me, give up!  Not for one second.  Time is precious.  Continue to seek God because it is when things get tough that you know that you are in line for a big blessing.  Just take heed to my words. There is a big blessing coming.  I have learned through these years that although it doesn't seem like it right now, serving God pays off.  I promise this.  There is a room that you always go to in your house.  There is one spot that you always kind of pace in.  I want you to lift your hands to the Lord and talk to him.   He is there with you and knows that you are an intelligent and thoughtful soul.  Lift your hands to the Lord in that spot and give Him the praise. As you lean closer to Him, He will show you the way.  He does miracles!  He watches after His children.  If there is any way I can help you, please call me. Take care always.  You will always be my friend and you encouraged me when no one else would.  I will keep you even more in my prayers.  If you get up at 6:30 a.m. central time tomorrow, know that I am praying for you then at morning prayer.

v  Doc, I have agreed and disagreed with your commentary over the years. But today my heart is sad and my soul full. You are a man of knowledge and integrity.  You sharing this experience with your extended family are appreciating.  You speak to the struggle of Blacks in academia with heart and passion.  In this commentary I only disagree with one thing: sacrificing the rest of your academic career--You will rise higher-

God Bless You and We love you

 

v  Doctor B, you know as always, we wish only the best for you; and anything I or we can do to help keep the word going we will do. all the best,

v  Congratulations! Dr. Watkins, you deserve better indeed! For you have the decency to stand-up to the bullies!

 

v  Please be advice, there will be no change without reaction. For any action there is a reaction.

 

v  Dr. Watkins, that's a damned shame!! I totally understand what you mean, as I have faced hell at the secondary and post secondary levels because of my unwillingness to conform to a white supremacist agenda that attempts to cast many of our people into a permanent underclass. It's because of scholars like you that many people who had no idea of how to even open a bank account now understand the intricacies and importance of financial intelligence; because of scholars like you, the world is more aware of the essence behind the meaning of "educator," "scholar," "activist," and "brotha."

I've been reading Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and in it he says: "No pedagogy which is truly liberating can remain distant from the oppressed by treating them as unfortunates and by presenting for their emulation models from among the oppressors.  The oppressed must be their own example in the struggle for their redemption" (p. 54).   He also states: Pedagogy which begins with the egoistic interests of the oppressors . . . and makes of the oppressed the objects of its humanitarianism itself maintains and embodies oppression.  It is an instrument of dehumanization.  This is why the pedagogy of the oppressed cannot be developed or practiced by the oppressors. It would be a contradiction in terms if the oppressors not only defended but actually implemented a liberating education. (p. 54)

Brotha, I correlate your statements, your ontology, with the ontology of this scholar. We all believe the same thing-- if we are to ever rid ourselves and oppressed peoples of the world from the shackles of the white supremacist framework that characterizes every facet of this society, we must create our own educational/pedagogical paradigm. If we don't, we fall prey to the evils of white supremacy that saturates our schools and every other facet of this racist system. So many of us have fallen prey to the oppressors "models" of truth that many are blinded or afraid to step out from under the oppressors' grip and follow the lead of scholars such as yourself. We must do what we can to keep fighting, to keep pressure on them, and let them know that all of us aren't afraid to "liberate the oppressed." You aren't afraid; just like the brothas and sistas before you, who fought this racist system until it transformed its racist theories/laws/edicts, you are fighting the system! Let's continue to arm ourselves and "right this sinking ship." I'm behind you 110%!! Call me to arms so we can galvanize our people and work to manifest a "pedagogy of the oppressed" that is armed with all that is needed to wreck this myth called the United States of America and finally make it a nation of truth and reality. I believe if we wreck this mythological, hypocritical "ship," the world will be a better place.

v  Dr. Boyce:  turn a camera on all of the colleges/universities who denies tenure on trumped up grounds.  There has obviously been a chilling effect in higher education for some time.  Keep informing us and reminding us that the struggle never ends

v  Dr Boyce, my sympathies go to you. In the 90s I experienced exactly the same racist policies in another university in another country while all the Uncle Toms around me [women and men of color] bowed their heads and took the degrees. Many of them were students I tutored and lectured. Actually, they took their degrees and turned their backs on me when the going got tough!!!! I was disqualified on 4 counts, lesbian, colored, solo parent, outspoken!!! No tenure. But they researched my research and my knowledge without my permission to teach other students. Rich huh?!

My recommendation is a University On-line where all marginalized people who join up can create a virtual global university focused on eclectic self-designed self-motivated curricula. You have the financial skills to create this. It must be at a price disadvantaged people can afford. Price is another factor used to deny certain people a degree. The rich can buy degrees for their offspring. Hell, look at George Bush.

v  Dr. Watkins, thank you for the update. As you are aware, many of us who choose in life to ask questions, think critically, and consequently attempt to change the status quo encounter what one may describe as 'negative' consequences. However, I believe we must continue to do what we believe is the right thing to do, regardless of outcome. Many would describe this as leadership. As a graduate of Syracuse University I am proud of the stand you take and encourage you to keep up the good fight. I believe in fate and that 'everything' occurs for a reason. I wish you well in your endeavor and please keep me informed.

 

v  I definitely feel your pain.  Being in academia most of my career, I have struggled with staying true to myself and my people and trying to be promoted in academia.  It truly is a fine line.  Although I have bucked the hard line research path, I have decided to go down that path as a way to get on other paths.  Whether I get tenure is still questionable, since I too am outspoken and am more passionate about research outside of traditional tracks, but one thing I have found is to find research partners who are tenured to partner with to help make it possible.  It is still a struggle even with partners to control your ideas and work, but constant vigilance and negotiation helps to manage it.  Stay encouraged.....I'm sure you can easily find another institution that is supportive or a move into your own thing is certainly needed and desired.  Looking forward to seeing great things soon!

v  Dearest Dr. Boyce, I wish you well in your life's journey, but know you never travel alone. With you are the souls of our ancestors and the stories of their journey's. Your story is of an American wrong that has been forced upon us (African Americans) since the evil conception of this country. Please know that during those times when you will feel most alone, those who came before you are reaching out to your spirit and holding you up.  Be well........A concerned friend.

 

v  Boyce, let's take a different type of stand....one that those at the top will understand.  If you can obtain the email addresses of the President of Syracuse, Director of Admissions, etc....I will talk to students that I know here at my school and other Community Colleges throughout the land to send messages saying something to the effect of.....We thought about coming but due to how Dr. Watkins was treated, we have changed our minds.  Please share your thoughts.

 

v  Dr. Watkins, you are a brilliant young man and you keep looking straight forward and up because when one door closes another always opens.  You have been an asset to the university and they will not realize it until later when they need you worst than you would ever need them.  I send my blessings to you for you keep forward and something wonderful is in store for your future.

 

v  Thank you for continuing to be a highly educated outstanding African American male who is often emulated and never duplicated.  God will surely continue to bless you!!!

 

v  Bro. Dr. Boyce we stand w/ you brother! We have to continue to stand up & take this thing by the horns! We appreciate all that you do & will do! May the Creator bless you and your family! Forward forever, backwards never!

 

v  Peace Dr. Watkins,   I am not at all surprised by this news-As a conscious brother in the struggle for our people's complete
unadulterated liberation, I am sure you aren't surprised either! Keep your head up, your nerves about you, remain on your path, and keep BLAZING, Black! (smile) It's all good* Syracuse University has proved to be a cradle much too small to hold such a mental giant such as yourself! May Allah (God) continue to radiate His Divine Intelligence through you, brother. May He protect you and raise you high above the gravitational pull of this darkened world! Peace

 

v  Hi Dr Watkins, I haven't sent you a response in a while but I just have to tell you that I'm forwarding this to as many (college-educated) Black people as email addresses I have. I say "college educated" not as a snob kind of thing, but because that is the group who can most understand your statement "I can't concur with the conclusion that every Black scholar on the planet is unqualified to be here," having experienced it.  Once again, you said what I have said in so many employment situations. The government agency from which I recently retired has NO Black upper level management people. The Black people who have had close to upper level positions have been fired after a few months or years for various reasons - usually b/c they have broken some kind of law of impropriety: shopped during business hours, took extended lunches, grew marijuana on their property at home, made a comment that was overheard and was distasteful to another Black colleague ("they're moving people around here like niggas on a plantation" - they WERE). Stuff that is technically distasteful, but yeah right - YOU PEOPLE aren't doing the same????? BUT, that's no defense.  Just before I retired I was supposed to be disciplined for contacting a super delegate (before President Obama was elected) on the agency's computer during my lunch time and using my email account. Supposedly I violated the Hatch Act. I responded that the Hatch Act had not been violated, our worthless union said "but they could say...," over and over. After much back and forth, I just said ok I have been saying I'm going to retire for about 5 years - forget you people - pay me to not come in. I had seen too many things happen there to too many people in my 23 years. I'm not "old" and can work somewhere else if I want.  I admire people like you who have the strength to keep speaking against wrong.  I wonder why white people think they can get away with that, and it is even more interesting that universities (where intelligent people are supposed to be) think THEY can get away with it. I guess b/c, as I told my granddaughter when she asked "why do people do that when they know they're going to get caught by the police?" (we were driving past the aftermath of  a restaurant robbery) -- b/c they don't think they will get caught so they keep on until they ARE caught.  Oh well, ignorance knows no education level either I guess. As I have told people (including the white minister who was preparing the eulogy for my mother's memorial service - my mother had been a dean at an HBCU), we have HBCUs b/c white people didn't want Black people to go to college, not b/c we didn't want to go with them.  But "all things work together for good...” as the Bible says. Look at all of the Black scholars we have in spite of the evil that white people planned.)  Keep on getting the word out! :)

 

v  Recently I was forced into unemployment for refusing to abandon the values, beliefs, and truths that I have come to know as an African-American female from West Philadelphia.  After receiving an EdM from Harvard, I was in Boston working for a so-called educational think tank, one supposedly dedicated to improving educational access and workforce development for the "underserved."   You get support as a member of these "underserved" populations as long as you fit their stereotypes.  You do risk being punished (freed) when you decide that you are unwilling to assimilate to the point where you are making the power structure comfortable.  That is, you are grounded enough to reject the notion that you have to eat their values and culture in order to feel worthy.  I too hold little anger for this organization's decision to release me.  It frees me up to have a greater impact of the issues and conditions that mean more to me.  Blessings to you as you continue on your journey.  I know it's going to be a great ride!

 

v  This is interesting. They kept reminding me at CSU of this "academic freedom," which is the advantage of teaching at a university. It can be abused, especially for tenured professors, but it is supposed to protect folks who have ideas off the mainstream. I wonder why his supporters weren't more vocal.  I still haven't found that report I was going to compare to his argument about HBCUs. I looked into that before I went on that fellowship and I thought the statistics said that HBCUs had a small percentage of the black students in the US, but were producing most of the blacks who went on to earn graduate degrees. I was using that to show the need for a relationship between CSU and UD. Maybe HBCUs don't put out the most bachelor's degrees but there are only about 100 HBCUs and "we" need more than a bs for "them" to take us seriously nowadays anyway so the need for HBCUs is still there.  Brother please wear this medal with Honor, because when you comply with your nature and stand to speak against injustice than sanctions are imposed on you by the enemy of truth ,but the Author of truth smiles because his student of truth has passed his test.  Brother Boyce your email should have included your photo with a big smile because in the end you will be the winner

v  Dr. Boyce, I never like to hear the word 'dismissed or dismissal.  Why? Its reinforces that one/we are still working for someone and when they are unhappy with us we are out the window/door.  Hopefully this will give you an opportunity not to waste a "crises". If crisis is indeed, opportunity-- this you venture with Dr. West you mentioned might provide additional opportunities to grow.  Will try to follow you on the line and the best for the future.

v  Hello Dr Watkins, I am a Phi Beta Sigma in Dallas, TX...If there is anything that we can do to assist in the racial disconnect in academia at Syracuse...please let me know. You have my support. Boyce, everything happens for a reason and you will be made whole again with a better opportunity.

v  Dr. Boyce, having read the results of your interview, from where I sit, a word of encouragement is in order.  Because I have traveled the same road in a different place, and at a different time, my hat is off to you and others who will accept the challenge to stand up and speak out to and for those who cannot--for whatever reason--speak for themselves.  In addition, I can say without evasion, equivocation or any mental reservation whatsoever, that when one door closes, another one opens. I speak as one who recognizes that this world we live in is not--as some would believe it to be--"a playground"; but rather, it is "a battleground." It's a battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. As our sister, Yolanda Adams has said in song, "the battle is not yours, it's the Lord's."  You are highly gifted, and I know you know that. Therefore, let me just remind you that "for unto whomsoever much is given, of him, much is required."  You keep on "keeping-on" Dr. Boyce, and I can assure you that the "unlimited blessings of heaven will combine with all good things without end," and they will follow you, all the days of your life.

v  So sorry to hear about your dismissal but not surprised. Syracuse is my home town that I recently visited.  Your dismissal and my trip is only a grave reminder of why I left. Unfortunately, everywhere we go in this country, we have to face racial hardships, one way or another.

v  Dr. Watkins, I have written a comment here and there on subjects you have addressed over the last year. Today I want to say fight on with a battle already won.  There is much in this world that needs to be corrected, this is yours.  My prayer is for your strength to go forward, your courage in the face of alone, your wisdom in the challenge and your love which will harmonize, unify and resolve all issues to your will.  Thank you.

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