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| Photo L to R: Kelvin Lawson, Rufus Montgomery, Harris Faulkner (Fox News) Marva Johnson, Trustee Michael White, Brandi Tatum, and Marcus Burgess. |
One of the lessons most people carry away from the schoolyard is that picking an avoidable quarrel with somebody who really likes to fight is generally a losing proposition.
It’s a lesson that appears to have been overlooked by FAMU President Marva Johnson, who this week made an ill-advised visit to the Fox News studios in New York alongside Rufus Montgomery, the controversial former chair of the university’s board of trustees and a vocal supporter of President Donald Trump.
The trip, which came just days before FAMU’s homecoming celebrations next week, has deepened distrust among students, faculty, and alumni who have grown increasingly wary of Johnson’s ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and her alignment with figures known for their conservative political advocacy.
For Johnson, who began her tenure on Aug. 1, the visit seemed a startling misjudgment. Since her appointment, she has privately worked to distance herself from accusations that she holds MAGA-aligned views—an association that has long dogged her prior to her taking the helm of one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black universities. But standing beside Mr. Montgomery—a boisterous and deeply unpopular figure among many in the FAMU community—on a network long criticized for stoking racial division and platforming far-right commentary, Johnson may have undone much of that work in a single appearance.
“I feel like there are adults that have sold FAMU out for political gain or financial gain,” said Elijah Hooks, a student activist who has been barred from campus. “And students don’t deserve that.”
Fox News has built its brand on inverting the conventions of traditional news media. Long stretches of editorial commentary—staunchly conservative and pro-Republican—are punctuated by flashes of normative reporting. The network has frequently been accused of preying on the racial anxieties of white viewers, presenting a world under constant threat from social change, then positioning itself as the lone bulwark against so-called “woke” ideologies.
Its programming often amplifies debates on issues like critical race theory, not as a good-faith examination of systemic inequity, but as a ratings-driven spectacle that demonizes advocates for racial justice.
Ms. Johnson this week appeared with Harris Faulkner, an award-winning Fox host and ardent supporter of Mr. Trump. Ms. Faulkner drew criticism in the past for praising the former president as “consoler-in-chief” after he blamed minority hiring initiatives for a deadly 2029 transportation disaster.
The optics of the visit were further complicated by Ms. Johnson’s professional history. She previously served as an appointee of Governor DeSantis, who has led efforts to ban state funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at public colleges and blocked the introduction of Advanced Placement African American studies in Florida high schools.
In the eyes of many at FAMU, the president’s presence at Fox News—especially alongside a polarizing surrogate like Mr. Montgomery—suggests either a profound tone-deafness or a willingness to be used for political theater.
Whether she was poorly advised or knowingly participated, the damage may be lasting. At a moment when the university community sought reassurance, Johnson’s actions have sown deeper doubt.
As one faculty member, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, put it: “She says she isn’t MAGA. But then she goes on Fox, next to Rufus, looking MAGA as hell. What are we supposed to think?”
It is a question now echoing across FAMU’s campus—and one that Marva Johnson will have to answer long after the lights of the studio have dimmed.
Marva + Rufus are definitely for them!!!
ReplyDeleteMarva can't help herself!!!
ReplyDelete