Minority Priority

THE BLACK LAW STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (BALSA) committed an unjustifiable and discriminatory violation of student liberties last week when it denied Jewish students an opportunity to participate in a campus forum featuring a representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

More than 30 Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) members attended the panel discussion, outnumbering members of BALSA and the Third World Coalition, the event's sponsors. But after opening the forum to questions from the floor, BALSA moderator Muhammad I. Kenyatta refused to recognize any of the white hands raised in the audience. BALSA and TWC members were to be given priority, he announced, proceeding to call on a Black student who hadn't raised his hand.

We defend the PLO's right to appear in an open forum at Harvard. All groups have a right to present their views; had Kenyatta permitted all students to challenge the speaker with critical questions, the ensuing discussion might have provided a constructive exchange of ideas and opinions.

By stifling debate, however, Kenyatta reduced the event to little more than a propaganda platform for a terrorist organization that has pledged to destroy the State of Israel. His refusal to open the floor to all students views showed a glaring disregard for the principles of free discussion that are vital to an enlightened academic community.

Moreover, Kenyatta's actions are particularly disturbing in light of the apparently widening rift between Black and Jewish organizations at Harvard and nationwide. Longtime political allies, particularly on civil rights issues, these groups recently have traded bitter words on a variety of issues; it is regrettable that Kenyatta acted in a way that helps further drive this wedge between Blacks and Jews.