In their zealous pursuit of “social justice,” college officials often forget about a little thing called the rule of law. That is exactly what happened to Oberlin College when administrators decided to pitch in with students in pinning the “racist” label on a local business, seeking to damage it.
The case is finally over, with a very expensive lesson for leftist college officials across America. Louis Bonham writes about it for Minding the Campus.
Here’s a key paragraph: “First, while the doctrines of CRT and wokeism may well be the preferred narrative of the faculty lounge and certain organizations, application of such doctrines often conflicts with well-settled law. When this conflict occurs and litigation ensues, a refusal to accept that such a blindered worldview might not be accepted by courts or juries is a recipe for disaster. Oberlin never appears to have taken seriously the possibility that anyone might require proof of its incendiary allegations of racism, or that it could be held to account for its participation in a campaign to destroy a local business. As I have indicated before, colleges embracing DEI initiatives and loyalty oaths while laughing at warnings that these practices likely violate decades of well-settled law may soon receive wake-up calls that make the Gibson’s Bakery judgment look like a trip to small claims court.”
Much as the wokesters may believe that they ought to be above the law, they aren’t there yet.