Apparently, Barack Obama Went to Harvard, and Was Awesome.

The above clip was leaked by Buzzfeed in advance of the Breitbartians' big reveal on Hannity. Oh. My. There's young Barack Obama, sounding quite a lot like the effective political speaker he is today, introducing Professor Derek Bell at a protest regarding getting tenure for a black woman professor to encourage diversity at Harvard University.

I'm not entirely sure what part of all this we're supposed to get upset about. He gave a warm introduction to a respected scholar regarding Harvard being open to voices that broadened the educational vistas of the university's students. Is it that Dr. Bell is supposed to be a "racialist"?  If so, that's really not shocking in the least. We ought to be able to recognize the difference between "racism" and "racialism"--it should not be considered beyond the pale to discuss issues of race. A bias against people on the basis of race is inappropriate--but discussion about the construct of race and how it impacts society is a meaningful field of study.

Dr. Bell was a proponent of critical race theory and advanced the importance of exposure to the narrative voices of people of color to enhance understanding of the relationships of different people within the context of their lives and the law. Critical race theory involves recognition of the intersection of race socially, economically, and in terms of how dominant groups in society can use law to reinforce privilege.  To put it simply; if the privilege of white (or straight, or male) people can be reinforced by the law, then they will totally use the law to reinforce their privilege. I don't think this idea is radical at all--I find it axiomatic. Taking a look at civil rights cases today: from voter ID laws to marriage equality, intersectionality and the law clearly show where privilege and bias play roles in preventing equal protection and access to the benefits of our legal system.

Anyway, this could only look like inflammatory material to someone who thought like Breitbart--whose endorsements of O'Keefe's mildly racist ACORN smears and the selectively edited Shirley Sherrod video definitely indicate a confusion of racism/racialism and distrust of multicultural perspectives. Alas, Breitbart is not here to properly set us up for why any of this is controversial. I'm sure his comments would be most....enlightening. Mostly about the psyche of Breitbart. As it is, coming at the same time as the sexist melt-down of Rush Limbaugh, maybe this isn't the best time for conservative media to reflect "Yeah, but we have serious race issues, too!"

Of course you do. I prefer to note that President Obama didn't need a teleprompter to introduce Professor Bell, was warm and well-spoken, and was apparently a significant campus leader way back in 1990, which must cause no small amount of chagrin to birther types who need verification that Obama even has school transcripts.