An editorial in the student newspaper of Tufts University is glowing with praise of diversity. We are told Tufts "prides itself on its acceptance and encouragement of diversity" and that "nearly a quarter of the class of 2013" identify as "students of color." Tufts has an "Office of Institutional Diversity" and recently hosted a symposium over the weekend that "afforded further opportunity for Tufts to highlight and promote dialogue around racial and ethnic diversity."
The Civil Rights Movement has come full circle. In the 1960s, progressive liberals argued that Americans should embrace the ideal of colorblindness and equal opportunity for all races. In his 2008 election campaign, Barack Obama ran on his dream of a "post-racial" America where skin color would gradually become irrelevant. Meanwhile, the bean counters on America's college campuses have never been more obsessed with race. Racial considerations seem to play an important role in almost everything they do.
No one has ever adequately explained why "racial diversity" is such an important goal. The argument rests on the racist premise that individuals are representatives of distinct races with definable characteristics. A white female cannot bring a certain perspective to a university because of her genetic makeup. Therefore, the Office of Admissions must recruit Hispanic females and a diverse faculty and student body to ensure that certain ideas are represented on campus.
"Diversity" runs against the idea that we should judge others as individuals on the basis on merit. A colorblind society cannot be realized when university administrators are constantly discriminating on the basis of race.
