Bell Urges Continued Pressure for Diversity

Derrick A. Bell, Jr., the activist professor who left Harvard Law School two years ago to protest its faculty hiring policy, yesterday urged students to continue to press for more minority professors.

"It seems that last year's vigorous student movement has become tired and discouraged," Bell said to an audience of about 160 in the Law School's Austin Hall.

Students last spring participated in highly publicized sit-ins and demonstrations for faculty diversity at the Law School. The protests culminated in open hearings against nine law students who had occupied the office of the school's dean. The students eventually received warnings.

Bell said that among his motivations for leaving the Law School was a wish to show students that "commitment to change had to be combined with a readiness to confront authority."

Warning that it would be "all but impossible" to change Harvard's hiring procedures, Bell said students must remain willing to risk their "security" to change things they think are wrong.

Bell applied this summer for an extension of Harvard's usual two- Year limit on faculty leaves of absence, buthis application was denied. He is now a professorat New York University Law School.

"The way of the troublemaker is long andlonely," Bell said, adding that for him, "thesacrifices have been worth it."

Still, Bell expressed uncertainty as to whetherhis departure actually improved the minorityhiring situation.

Bell said the school has made little progressin hiring since he left. He said he would adviseBlack women--the group he singled out upon leavingHarvard as most underrepresented--to seek tenurepositions else-where. The Law School has still nottenured a Black woman.

According to Bell, the school's hiring criteriamaintain a "very narrow academic profile" thatexcludes worthy candidates from a broad range ofethnic and scholarly backgrounds.

"[The present faculty's] desire is to hirethose who like them," he said.

In retrospect, Bell said, he might have beenable to campaign better for diversity from withinthe Law School.

Bell said he was disappointed that otherprofessors did not "rally behind him" after hiswithdrawal.

"If a white member of this faculty had taken aprotest leave, would his or her protest havecarried a weight that mine could not emulate?"

Bell said he was disturbed that the Universityhad decided not to extend the two-year leave limitin his case. "A rule without exceptions is capableof serious injustice to those within thecommunity," he said.

He said the Law School two years ago altered a"more serious rule"--one stating that visitingprofessors needed to be away from the school formore than a year before they could be consideredfor tenure.

According to Bell, the new policy allowed theschool to grant tenure to three white malevisiting professors last year.

Bell also said that the school's poor minorityhiring record was "a denial of Black humanity,"part of a 300-year history of discrimination thatincluded slavery and segregation.

"Racism is permanent," Bell said. "Once youface up to this, there is enlightenment and newcommitment.

"The way of the troublemaker is long andlonely," Bell said, adding that for him, "thesacrifices have been worth it."

Still, Bell expressed uncertainty as to whetherhis departure actually improved the minorityhiring situation.

Bell said the school has made little progressin hiring since he left. He said he would adviseBlack women--the group he singled out upon leavingHarvard as most underrepresented--to seek tenurepositions else-where. The Law School has still nottenured a Black woman.

According to Bell, the school's hiring criteriamaintain a "very narrow academic profile" thatexcludes worthy candidates from a broad range ofethnic and scholarly backgrounds.

"[The present faculty's] desire is to hirethose who like them," he said.

In retrospect, Bell said, he might have beenable to campaign better for diversity from withinthe Law School.

Bell said he was disappointed that otherprofessors did not "rally behind him" after hiswithdrawal.

"If a white member of this faculty had taken aprotest leave, would his or her protest havecarried a weight that mine could not emulate?"

Bell said he was disturbed that the Universityhad decided not to extend the two-year leave limitin his case. "A rule without exceptions is capableof serious injustice to those within thecommunity," he said.

He said the Law School two years ago altered a"more serious rule"--one stating that visitingprofessors needed to be away from the school formore than a year before they could be consideredfor tenure.

According to Bell, the new policy allowed theschool to grant tenure to three white malevisiting professors last year.

Bell also said that the school's poor minorityhiring record was "a denial of Black humanity,"part of a 300-year history of discrimination thatincluded slavery and segregation.

"Racism is permanent," Bell said. "Once youface up to this, there is enlightenment and newcommitment.