Letter: Black Panther co-founder well-qualified to teach

Editor,

While I was generally pleased with Christopher Sanchez's piece in the Aug. 21 Daily Lobo on David Hilliard's faculty appointment in African-American Studies, I was extremely disappointed that he chose to punctuate, not once but twice, that Hilliard did not have an academic degree. Given that the very first sentence makes this point, one might easily believe that the author felt that it was important to inform our academic community about what some here may perceive as an anomaly. And while this may be far removed from Sanchez's intentions, I want to respond briefly to his article.

If UNM were to have the good fortune to have Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Maya Angelou join the faculty to teach a course in their areas of specialty - none hold degrees - one would not imagine the school newspaper focusing so pointedly on the fact that they were on faculty "even though they did not have a degree." I suspect that UNM would be proud, and the school newspaper would reflect that pride. I did not detect that sense of pride from the article published on Monday.

While the piece could have begun with the simple fact that David Hilliard is a founding member of one of the most important social movements in the pantheon of the history of blacks struggling for equality and freedom in America, the article begins with what I perceive as a suspiciously negative statement - one that some people have called blatantly racist. I'll leave it to others to debate whether the article is racist. What I want to point out here is that the Daily Lobo missed an unprecedented opportunity to properly welcome a leading figure and pioneer in American and African-American history.

As the head of African-American Studies, I solicited David Hilliard to join our faculty and was ecstatic when he accepted our offer. When I asked him to consider teaching at UNM, I did so because no one alive is more qualified to teach a course on the 20th century history of blacks in social movements, particularly regarding the Black Panther Party, than Hilliard - and that list would include Clayborne Carson, Toni Morrison, Darlene Clark Hine, Henry Louis Gates and Cornel West, premier African-American scholars who know the history well. I believe few courses could be more significant to students interested in African-American history than the ones Hilliard brings to UNM.

Finally, I would note that Hilliard is the author and co-author of three books and numerous other writings. He has been on faculty at a number of colleges in the California Bay Area, and he regularly lectures at colleges and universities throughout the country, including institutions like Harvard, Berkeley and Yale. His publication record exceeds that of many experts in the field, and he is teaching what he lived, not merely his theories about an important era in American history. Most important, I have seen firsthand his passion for his students and his commitment to teaching. He loves teaching, is an expert at what he teaches, and genuinely cares about those he teaches. In the end, these points should have come first and foremost.

Finnie D. Coleman

Director of African-American Studies