Conservatives are nowhere to be seen in a Harvard University course focused on black women in politics, according to a copy of the syllabus obtained by The College Fix.
History 167: Race, Gender, and the Law Through the Archive praises First Lady Michelle Obama, failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Vice President Kamala Harris for having “left their mark on 21st-century politics and grassroots organizing.”
The course says it will examine black women in the 20th century who “shap[ed] politics, grassroots organizing, the legal profession, and higher education during Jim (Jane) Crow and beyond.” Topics include “reproductive rights,” “non-binary people,” and “Black Feminism,” according to the syllabus.
But the course leaves out prominent conservative black women, including one who even made history at Harvard.
Left off of the syllabus are Zora Neale Hurston, Roberta Church, and Dr. Mildred Jefferson. Hurston is an accomplished writer and Republican, while Church served in both the Eisenhower and Nixon presidential administrations. Dr. Jefferson (pictured) was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard’s Medical School and advocated against abortion.
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Professor Myisha Eatmon, one of the listed instructors on the course, did not respond to three inquiries made by The College Fix about who the class would study in the past several weeks. She has previously said “racism is a virus and white privilege is a drug,” according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Students will read from critical race theorist Kimberle Crenshaw, Rutgers University Professor Brittney Cooper, and former Black Panther leader Angela Davis.
Learning objectives including defining “intersectionality,” understanding “the role of Black women in safeguarding reproductive rights leading up to Roe v. Wade and beyond, and “[e]xplain how Jim Crow affected the lives of Black women as individuals at the intersection of multiple identities.”
The course content drew criticism from Brenda Thiam, an ambassador for Project 21. The group advocates for black conservatism and is part of the National Center for Public Policy Research.
“This course sounds like the content only leans towards far left agenda ideologies,” Thiam told The Fix via email. “The first paragraph spoke only of Black women who are Democrats. Black Democrat women are not the only Black women who have paved the way in the political arena,” she said. Thiam is a former Republican legislator in Maryland.
By limiting the course to cover only liberal women in the world of politics they are denying students a full view of political history, Thiam said.
The former delegate mentioned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and deceased Utah Congresswoman Mia Love as two people also worthy of recognition.
“These women were pioneers in the field of politics, and paved the way for other women who have served in politics,” she said. “They must be included in the course content to ensure course participants receive a full range of political views.”
She said there is still some value to the course, because students will learn “about the work of women in politics who happen to be Black” and “will allow participants to consider their own path in politics as they learn about the work of women in politics.”
Yet, Thiam said, Harvard “must modify the course content to include conservative/Republican women’s views.”
LifeNews Note: NancyLee Bareham is a sophomore at Franciscan University of Steubenville where she studies theology and catechetics while minoring in communications. Previously she was founder and editor-in-chief of her high school’s newspaper, The LCHS Insider. She has written for FAITH Magazine. This column originally appeared at The College Fix.
