It’s "total racism" to suggest that Harvard’s next president should be a Black woman, Dr. Carol Swain, a senior fellow at the Institute for Faith and Culture, told Newsmax Wednesday.
"It’s total racism and it seems to me that the DEI regime encouraged by the politics of the Biden's administration — they believe that positions of power and influence are old, racial, ethnic and political minorities because of past marginalization and so they have totally divorced identity politics from qualifications," Swain said during an appearance on Newsmax TV’s "Chris Salcedo Show" in response to a quote by Marc Lamont Hill that the "next president of Harvard University MUST be a Black woman."
"It is ludicrous. If Harvard wants to restore its reputation it should be seeking the best available person, which could easily be a middle-aged white man."
Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned Tuesday amid plagiarism accusations and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing where she was unable to say unequivocally that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy.
Gay, Harvard’s first Black president, announced her departure just months into her tenure in a letter to the Harvard community.
The U.S. should "get back to meritocracy, conduct of character into the merits of one’s work in a country that wants to succeed," Dr. James Lyndsey, an author, mathematician, and political commentator, told Salcedo.
"As long as the DEI apparatus is in place, American meritocracy is not going to be able to come back into the picture, but that’s exactly what we need to be a thriving and successful country," he added.
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.