NU student regent defends UNL chancellor and anti-racism plan
'I think his work is commendable'
'I think his work is commendable'
'I think his work is commendable'
Gov. Pete Ricketts continued his attack on a plan to address institutional racism at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
But he said it's up to NU President Ted Carter Jr. and NU Regents to determine whether UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green should step down.
NU Student Regent Batool Ibrahim, a senior at UNL, supports Green.
"Chancellor Green has been the only chancellor in the state of Nebraska who has been willing to address these head-on," Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim applauds Green for UNL's "Journey for Anti-racism and Racial Equity" plan.
"I think his work is commendable. I think anyone that is calling for his resignation is ignoring what he is willing to address," Ibrahim said.
She was president of the UNL Black Student Union during the social justice protests in 2020.
It was the action she and others were calling for.
"Essentially, it was a call to answer the cries of Black and brown students who've been saying this on this campus for years," Ibrahim said.
She is dismayed at the backlash from some politicians including Gov. Pete Ricketts.
"People are making assumptions about what the plan is talking about. For example, the whole idea of quota systems, etc., that's not what the Journey Leadership is called calling for. The Journey Leadership is asking us to reevaluate our policies and maybe how it's inequitable to some," Ibrahim said.
Ricketts maintains the plan would inject critical race theory into every corner of campus from racially motivated hiring practices to divisive trainings.
"Critical race theory is trying to discriminate against people based upon skin color. Everybody should be against that. It undermines the Civil Rights Era and Martin Luther King's dream of having people judged on the continent of their characters. All students should appreciate that," Ricketts said.
Two state lawmakers, state Sen. Steve Erdman and state Sen. Steve Halloran co-signed a letter calling for Green to resign.
Ricketts said he won't go that far.
"I have lost all faith in Ronnie Green as I mentioned before. This is an issue for President Carter, the Board of Regents to address," Ricketts said.
Ricketts wrote in his weekly column, that the University isn't going to stop pushing CRT without action from Nebraskans.
He urged Nebraskans to write or show up and the NU Board of Regents meeting Friday and call on the university to reject the plan.
Ibrahim has her arguments ready.
She said the plan is crucial in continuing to recruit and keep young people in the state.
"Racial equity, racial discrimination and in the call for racial justice in the nation is something that a lot of young people are thinking about," Ibrahim said.
"To ignore that this starts in the classroom that this education starts in the classroom is wrong. It's a failure," Ibrahim said.