A few weeks ago, UCLA announced its list of commencement speakers. They include BLM co-founder, property magnate, and end-Israel proponent Patrisse Khan-Cullors.
The Jewish Journal has since confirmed it is going ahead:
The UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs confirmed to the Journal that Black Lives Matter (BLM) co-founder Patrisse Cullors will be giving a pre-recorded speech as the keynote speaker to the school’s June 11 graduation ceremony.
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Judea Pearl,Chancellor’s Professor of Computer Science at UCLA, National Academy of Sciences member and Daniel Pearl Foundation president, told the Journal he asked UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Dean Professor Gary Segura if he would ask Cullors if she would retract her 2015 remarks.
Segura said in a statement to the Journal, “Respect for diversity of opinion on matters of public concern is a key tenet of the educational philosophy of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, and it’s important to remember that an invitation to speak does not represent an endorsement of all past or future statements by a given speaker. We do not condone racism, sexism, anti-Semitism or any form of bias. The prerecorded commencement message from Patrisse Cullors is one of unity, tolerance and forgiveness. She suggests that a cooperative spirit can help heal old wounds and advance new solutions. I am confident that our graduating students will appreciate her perspective and find inspiration in her call to look forward without judgment in pursuit of a happier, more equitable society.”
Segura’s response is mindblowing. By referring not just to past statements, but also future ones, he is acknowledging that this leopard probably hasn’t changed its spots, yet her words are welcome in this case because they tick all the woke boxes. After all, how can this bastion of “White privilege” resist giving air time to the co-founder of Black Lives Matter?
I call on all alumni and donors to UCLA who may see this to put pressure on them to remove her from the program. This is simply outrageous.
And don’t worry about Khan-Cullors. She’ll still have her property empire and possibly an invite to speak at next year’s Grammys.
