It was Soul Food Thursday at Howard University last week, and many students were looking forward to their favorite meal: fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens and cornbread. At lunchtime, however, students discovered that much of the campus had been locked down and that the school's cafeteria was off limits.
Apparently, many of them did not know that President Bush and first lady Laura Bush had arrived for a "youth summit" at the Blackburn Center, where the dining hall is located. Stomachs began to growl, tempers flared, and, eventually, a student protest ensued.
This should have been a no-brainer news and photo coup for the president. This is one of those made-up news stories, where the president eats soul food and converse with the young students at Howard U, while the television news cameras generate video footage ready for the Five O'Clock News. Every administration uses this type of news event--both Democratic and Republican--as a means to advance their agenda, and show that the president is doing what is good for the country. This should have been a no-brainer news and photo op.
But not this time:
During the protest, dozens of students locked arms around a flagpole in the Quadrangle, a designated forbidden zone at the center of the campus, and refused to move despite warnings from campus security that Secret Service rooftop snipers might open fire on them.
Campus security guards warning hungry, angry students that they might be shot at by Secret Service Snipers? All because the students can't get into the cafeteria to have their lunch? It gets better:
In a letter posted the day before on a university Web site, President H. Patrick Swygert wrote that, having notified the campus via e-mail in July, he was sending a reminder of the Bush visit. But students complained that they hadn't seen either message and criticized school officials and the Bush administration for poor planning.
What might have been a public relations coup for Bush -- a visit to a historically black college to show concern for at-risk youths -- ended up as another Katrina-like moment, with the president appearing spaced-out, waving and smiling for television cameras while students were trying to break through campus security to get to the cordoned-off cafeteria.
So no one really thought about planning this summit carefully out. Howard University's president Swygert never bothered adequately informing the student body of the president's visit. Posting on a campus website and sending emails are certainly not enough. The university could have informed the campus paper in advance, and promoted the president's visit as a major university event. This could have also been promoted in the local city's newspaper, university radio or television stations. The White House never thought about what the president's visit could do to disrupt Howard University's daily operations. Was there any communication between the White House PR and Howard University? That's basic public relations there. But first, some political background on the White House PR stunt:
[W]hat happened at Howard was illustrative nonetheless of how a seemingly minor mess, easily avoided by a more attentive White House, could have repercussions down the road.
The Republican Party is trying hard to win over black voters before the midterm elections, and Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele needs the support of black Democrats in his bid to become the first black Republican in the U.S. Senate since Howard alumnus Edward Brooke of Massachusetts (1967-1979). So one thing Bush didn't want was a ruckus during a visit to Howard.
All he had to do was drop in on Soul Food Thursday, be seen sharing a wing and some collard greens with students -- and score one for the GOP.
Standard politics. This is how you court the black vote, and get them to pick Steele as the first black Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. Have Bush show up, eat some Soul Food and hang out with the young Howard Students. It gets worst:
But the visit went from bad to worse. On a day when the U.S. Senate passed a resolution paying tribute to civil rights icon Rosa Parks, who died last week, campus security guards were telling students that if they wanted to eat they'd have to come back when the president and first lady were gone, then go to a service door at the rear of the dining hall and ask for a chicken plate to go. Never mind that a student meal plan at Howard can cost as much as $2,500 a semester.
Can you say Jim Crow Laws?
Now as this whole student protest and White House PR disaster is playing out, we've got another problem developing with the press trying to cover this event. It seems that Howard University didn't want the negative coverage of students protesting against President Bush's visit to get out. According to the Post story:
In case you missed the broadcast Friday on Fox 5 (WTTG-TV), reporter Robbie Chavez was at Howard trying to interview protesting students when a campus security guard showed up and tried to stop him.
Chavez: The university went to great lengths . . .
Guard: I'm asking you to leave the campus now.
Chavez: . . . to hide angry protesting students . . .
Guard: I'm warning you, you don't do that.
Chavez: . . . a big effort to keep a lid on the growing frustration.
Chavez said: "This is what university police and the Howard University administration did not want publicized: students angry after being shut out of parts of their own university."
What else can I say about this disaster? The Bush White House wanted to create a public relations coup with the president attending this "youth summit" at Howard University, while at the same time shielding the president from any negative criticism by completely blocking the students out of their university. Howard U staff never bothered promoting the president's visit as a major university event, nor did they bother informing the students. And when the students protested, Howard U. security tried to trample the First Amendment rights of a free press by stopping a television reporter from interviewing students.
I shake my head at this.
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