Tufts journal cited for racial parody

May 11, 2007|Jesse Harlan Alderman, Associated Press

A judicial panel at Tufts University ruled yesterday that a conservative campus journal "harassed" blacks by publishing a Christmas carol parody called "O Come All Ye Black Folk" that many found racist.

The decision by the Committee on Student Life, a board of professors and students that hears complaints against campus groups, ruled that The Primary Source was guilty of harassment and creating a hostile environment in violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy.

The body ruled that an editor now must sign all of the magazine's work. The panel also recommended that Tufts's student government "consider the behavior" of the magazine when allocating money.

Hundreds of students at the Medford campus, including the president of the student body, have signed a petition against the magazine, said Douglas Kingman, an editor.

A black student brought a harassment complaint to the board after the magazine distributed its December edition, which contained the mock Christmas carol lambasting black students and the school's affirmative action policies.

The parody of "O Come All Ye Faithful" calls black people "boisterous" and proclaims, "Born into the ghetto. O Jesus! We need you now to fill our racial quotas."