Jackson Free Press

Adam Lynch of the Jackson Free Press broke the story last week that Jackson State University President Ronald Mason was floating a plan to merge the state's historically black colleges. The news caused a media frenzy and outrage among graduates of the state's three public HBCUs.

Mason made a huge mistake.

Many African Americans in the state were already shocked at Gov. Haley Barbour's pompous announcement that the three HBCUs should be merged into one, as well as Mississippi State and the Mississippi State University for Women—with no change for his alma mater, the University of Mississippi.

It was no real surprise that Barbour was tone-deaf on this issue. He seems to display a remarkable lack of understanding of the passion, pride and history associated with the state's black colleges—fierce pride that grew out of Mississippi's segregationist past and the efforts, and even deaths, of so many to bring parity to the country's most recalcitrant state on the "race question." Not to mention, Barbour's attention has clearly shifted to the national stage, and his chief interest seems to be impressing the national right wing, rather than showing real concern for the victims of his dispassionate budget ax back at home.

True concern and attempts at understanding are required in these tough times. Yes, budget cuts are necessary in an economy decimated by nearly a decade of unbridled greed in Washington and corporate America. But these budget cuts affect real people's lives and history; they should not be delivered with apathy, and certainly not with glee.

Mason is the real surprise in this equation. If anyone should be expected to get the sensitivity over this issue, it is the president of the state's largest HBCU—an African American himself. But the way he chose to sneak around the halls of the Legislature—with a very unprofessionally prepared proposal, to boot—shows that he has no situational awareness on this issue. And that raises concern about where else that tone-deafness translates on his campus.

We understand that Mason is in a tough spot, especially with Barbour's ax swinging for his ankles. And we can see that Mississippi may not be able to maintain the university system, including that of the HBCUs, as it stands now.

But both Barbour and Mason left a major step out of their lobbying efforts: the people. Either could have held a town-hall meeting to get input and to allow people to express themselves. They could have formed citizen task forces to ask graduates of the schools to come up with solutions and proposals. Instead, they chose to take the imperial low road and act if they don't care what people think.

As a result, the people are, indeed, expressing themselves—against the two men who tried to railroad through a very large and painful proposal without bothering to consult them. The people are angry, and they should be.