Liberty's Jerry Falwell Jr. apologizes for tweet; director of diversity resigns

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Washington Post


Sarah Pulliam Bailey 5 hrs ago

Faced with outrage from black alumni and the resignation of at least three African American staffers, Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. has deleted and apologized for a two-week-old tweet that showed a face mask decorated with a photo of a person in Ku Klux Klan robes and another in blackface.

The images were intended to mock the mask requirement implemented by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D), who nearly resigned from his office last year amid revelations that the racist photo had been featured on his medical school yearbook page.

But it upset many of the African American students, staff and alumni at Liberty, which was founded in Lynchburg, Va., in 1971 by Falwell’s father, Jerry Falwell Sr., and is one of the largest Christian universities in the world.

LeeQuan McLaurin, who began as a student at Liberty in 2012 and has worked there since, resigned from his position as director of diversity retention last week. He said in an email that Falwell’s tweet on May 27 was a tipping point of larger racially related problems that he has experienced at the school, which he said have contributed to a drop in Liberty’s residential undergraduate African American population from 10 percent to 4 percent between 2007 and 2018.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/libertys-jerry-falwell-jr-apologizes-for-tweet-director-of-diversity-resigns/ar-BB15dlO1?li=BBnbfcL

[SunSeeker]

1. Why would anyone go to this shitty, resume-embarrassing college?

Maybe, if it's the only college that accepted you or you got a full ride, but still. You'd never live down having a diploma from there.

[pstokely]

4. they either come from fundie families or liberty fake u gives them a good deal

Last edited Tue Jun 9, 2020, 06:35 AM - Edit history (1)

they might offer their applicants on their higher end full rides

[jb5150]

6. Maybe because you only have to read one book ...

and the answer to every question is, "god did it".

[Nevilledog]

35. *snort*

[jmowreader]

10. Most Liberty students are sent

Same deal with the other fundamentalist madrassas: the students’ choice is to go to this fucked up college or get out of their parents’ home.

If you were to give me that kind of ultimatum, my ass would be in the Navy recruiter’s office that afternoon.

[obamanut2012]

18. Because their parents won't pay for another school

I know several folks forced to go there, and they hated it, even though they were Fundies at the time. It's impossible to work your way through college now, and how do kids get the seed money to even leave, if they can mentally make the break after years of brainwashing and gaslighting?

One of the folks I know who went there is LGBT, and she was rescued by an aunt who got her into Sweet Briar, which is very close to Lynchburg and a good women's college, with a full scholarship. She lived with her aunt. Her parents haven't spoken to her since 1995.

[pstokely]

20. did they get any kind of scholarships?

if they were on the higher end of their applicants?

[mwb970]

2. "Christian university" is a bit of an oxymoron.

[mwooldri]

11. Jesus College, Oxford and Cambridge might be an exception.

Two colleges, same common name, each part of the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge respectively.

Jesus College in Oxford was founded to teach clergy, though now it teaches most subjects. Jesus College in Cambridge predates the University of Cambridge itself and was founded on a former nunnery.

Both have a Christian heritage, but are pretty secular these days, as well as co-ed - Jesus College in Cambridge used to be male only.

In 500 years time, Liberty University could be a great, secular university. It's got a way to go yet...

[ForgoTheConsequence]

21. I'll let the Jesuits know.

Thank you for your concern.

[mwb970]

30. Um, OK.

[TlalocW]

3. I was hoping my repiles to that tweet would get him to ban me from viewing him

Just a game I play. I posted several things about how his daddy essentially started the modern Christian Right, not based on abortion like they lie about but on fighting desegregation. He and others like Bob Jones, didn't want to have to let in non-whites but wanted to keep their tax-exemption.

TlalocW

[KY_EnviroGuy]

8. In many parts of the nation, churches are still segregated just like schools were....

in the 50s and 60s. It's rare to hear any discussion on that issue, as if it's untouchable.

We still have a long way to go......

KY

[TlalocW]

31. I believe it but

I left off that these were religious schools they were wanting to keep segregated while keeping their tax-exemption - so Bob Jones University and Falwell's Lynchburg Christian School were among these schools, but they weren't the initial catalyst. Instead some private, Whites-only K-12 schools in the mid-60s were set up in response to Brown V. Board of Education, and they were sued by some Black parents to keep them from getting full tax exemption.

This link provides a nice history of the true beginnings of the religious right. Basically, Falwell and others realized bringing evangelicals together could mean real political power, but since they essentially lost on segregation, and that wasn't a good look in the first place, they decided on abortion.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133

TlalocW

[GulfCoast66]

36. Wow! You know the real story. Then Reagan double crossed them.

Did not fight to have schools that allowed segregation to be tax exempt. And the courts played a role if I remember correctly


But by then they knew a good, and lucrative thing, when they saw it.

The southern Baptist Convention issues a statement after Roe vs Wade. Said it was between a woman and god. My, how things have changed. Used to be most Protestants did not believe life began at conception. Since Abortion is not ever mentioned in the Bible. But they could care less. They make the rules to suit themselves.

Grew up Southern Baptist. Glad I have ditched all that BS.

[TlalocW]

37. Maybe I don't know the whole story then...

I've never heard anyone in the religious right badmouth Reagan, and I can't think of anything he did offhand... Unless... Did it have something to do with Anthony Kennedy not being anti-abortion enough or something?

On Edit: Oh, misread your post. I think at that point, it was pretty much law of the land, and Reagan couldn't do much about it? Bob Jones lost its tax-exemption for a while in 1976, which at that point they knew things were serious. They tried to blame Carter for all of it, but he wasn't in office until 1977. Then Weyreich came along, and they solidified behind an anti-abortion/anti-gay/anti-communist manifesto.

TlalocW

[regnaD kciN]

5. "Director of Diversity" at Liberty U...

Isn't that a little like being "Director of Synagogue Recruitment" for the Nazis?

[SeattleVet]

9. They have to have a Diversity Director...

to try to bring together all the people - from Southern Baptists, to Free Will Baptists, to General Association Baptists, Landmark Baptists, Reformed Baptists, United Baptists, and everyone in between!

They sometimes might even have to speak with a Methodist.

[mwooldri]

12. You reminded me of this joke...

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2005/sep/29/comedy.religion

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

[CentralMass]

13. :-)

[CanonRay]

24. That's actually pretty funny

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Well, It Made Me Laugh!

I was even predicting the punchline, and I still laughed!

[SeattleVet]

33. Yep - that's what I was thinking of when I wrote it!

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. Could be black attendance is low because it's a hornet's nest of right-wing dogma...

and pie-in-the-sky religious bullshit.

No disappointment at all if this school collapses from it's own hubris.......

[pstokely]

14. negroes and orientals allowed at liberty u

Last edited Tue Jun 9, 2020, 08:28 AM - Edit history (3)

at least if they can dribble, throw, or shoot a ball and don't kneel, and they now have sports for the gals with permission from their daddies

[KY_EnviroGuy]

15. But, but, look at the diversity in sports shoe color.

..............

What you said probably does carry a lot of weight if we looked across a wide variety of sports activity. Anything for a win for Republican Jesus. Kneeling only allowed on both knees for prayer.

Thanks for the post.

KY

[Botany]

16. Now why would anybody especially an African American get upset about images of the ...

... KKK and somebody in blackface?

[Maxheader]

17. His ole man stole diamonds,

From South African....

[yellowcanine]

22. Wasn't that Pat Robertson? Or did they both do it?

Maybe it is a Fundy "thing".

[Maxheader]

28. I think your right..

I found some mention of robertson dealing in gold and diamonds..nothing involving falwell senior..

Interesting stuff..

https://www.madcowprod.com/2007/05/18/the-secret-history-of-jerry-falwell-2/

[yellowcanine]

29. Falwell senior was a scammer though. He peddled the "Clinton Chronicles"

to raise money for his school and "ministries".

[3Hotdogs]

19. After a college and job resume like his,

where is he gonna find a replacement job?

[keithbvadu2]

23. Jerry can wear a mask with his pool boy on it.

Jerry can wear a mask with his pool boy on it.

[not_the_one]

26. It's not a mask on his face, it IS the pool boy.

(and there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that)

[Collimator]

25. Wearing a mask is a good thing--

if you want to engage in violent behavior and need to provide plausible deniability to the sheriff (who is probably right there next to you).

Wearing a mask to protect yourself, your family and the health of others in your community from a dangerous disease is state-sponsored persecution and tyranny.

I get it now. Thank you.

[keithbvadu2]

27. Trumpsters

[onetexan]

32. Falwell has disgraced himself one too many times. He is not a Christian, but a RW racist. Liberty U

needs to be shut down. It's a breeding ground for RW indoctrination, not a real college.

[Initech]

38. Wait, Liberty University has a diversity department?

Who knew?