NPR’s Siner: “What Will Fisk University Take Away From Its Presidential Shakeup?”
“We are all deeply invested in the fate and the future of Fisk. And we all want what’s best for her,” DeGregory says.
For Black institutions, DeGregory says, any misstep often leads to white people dismissing the whole organization, if not disparaging the entire race. So many alumni think what’s best for Fisk is to close this chapter on President Rome quickly, she says. Many have expressed relief that the controversy seems to be over, at least on the school’s part.
But in this case, DeGregory says the Fisk community would benefit from dwelling in the discomfort — because of the seriousness of the allegations, and the fact that they were against the university’s top official. What to do about potentially bad-behaving powerful people is a dilemma that many schools have had to face, including others in the past several weeks.
Though Fisk hasn’t commented on the specifics of this situation, DeGregory says it speaks volumes to her that the school quickly cut ties.
“What that leads to is an awareness that whether or not these allegations are true, that they are true in many other instances, and that they will be taken seriously and not merely dismissed because of the people involved in the allegation,” she says.
“I believe that you can want the best for a place and understand that the pursuit of its best takes you through an uncomfortable time.”
Fisk University should focus on the future, she says, but this chapter is still an important part of its story.