AMHERST — An aspiring University of Massachusetts professor of postcolonial literature has made a public vow to "shift the focus" of her classes in order to hone in on social justice topics like "race and policing in America," according to a "Diversity Statement" she recently posted to her personal website.
"I firmly believe that diversity, in all its manifold manifestations, should be at the forefront of course design rather than attended to or accommodated as an afterthought," wrote Amanda Ruth Waugh Lagji, a PhD candidate at the school, who works in the English department.
When Benjamin Franklin deferred to Thomas Jefferson in the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, he did so for multiple reasons. He wished to avoid the annoyance of being edited by the committee of the whole Continental Congress, as Jefferson was, to Jefferson's great distress. Franklin sought to ensure the support of Jefferson's Virginia for a revolution begun in New England. He wanted to give the younger man a chance to shine.
