Racial Harassment Charged by Kilson

In a letter this week to the dean of the Faculty, Thomson Professor of Government Martin L. Kilson charged an associate professor with racial harassment for an incident which occurred four years ago.

In the letter, which Kilson provided to The Crimson, the professor offered his interpretation of an alleged incident of "racial-humiliation" by Jennifer A. Widner at the end of a seminar in March 1990.

Kilson asked Knowles in the letter for an inquiry into the matter before approving the tenure vote.

The professor also charged that Robert O. Keohane, then chair of the government department, conducted an "inadequate and perfunctory adjudication" into the matter.

Kilson said he wrote the letter to Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles in order to explain the reasons for his dissenting vote in last week's government department decision to recommend Widner for tenure.

"I believe that somebody who has committed an act of racial humiliation has to be evaluated in light of that act," Kilson said in an interview last night.

"I'm asking that the issue be given consideration by the administration which makes the final decision about who goes up the ladder," he said.

Widner declined to comment last night. Reached last night, Knowles said he had not yet received the letter.

Kilson, who is Black, wrote that Widner met him after a seminar discussion on March 2, 1990, demanding an "impromptu meeting" about a survey format she had prepared for a subcommittee chaired by the professor.

Kilson wrote that Widner grabbed his arm, "forcefully pulling-me-back-into-Seminar room as I attempted at the same time to exit that Seminar room."

Kilson said the dispute was only resolved when Rita M. Breen, executive officer for the committee on African Studies, stepped between the two, allowing Kilson to exit the room.

"Some 20 persons or so are watching Widner's incredible confrontationalist assault toward me--me, a Black full professor at Harvard University--and they were clearly astonished, to say the least about it," Kilson wrote.

"They had probably never before witnessed a junior faculty member so brazenly posturing--in full confrontationalist manner--before a senior faculty member, either at Harvard University or anywhere else."

Breen could not be reached for comment last night.

But despite his belief that the incident was racial, Kilson said he was unable to convince other members of the department of his interpretation.

Some interpreted the actions as "merely rudeness," and others asked for "additional evidence," the professor said.

Kilson said yesterday he gave the letter to The Crimson in order to bring the issue to the attention of the community at large.

"I'm breaking the confines of the department because I think there are some issues which should be of interest to our general Harvard University community," Kilson said.

In the letter, Kilson allowed for the possibility that the incident with Widner was not racially motivated.

"There are of course possible alternative explanations or interpretations of Jennifer Widner's vicious confrontationalist assault on my dignity and status," the letter says.

But "I think I'm right--otherwise I wouldn'ttake this position," Kilson added last night.

In the letter, Kilson wrote that Widner, in hisopinion, "consciously or unconsciously" sought toconfront him in public in order to humiliate himbecause of his race.

"I say without fear of contradiction, DeanKnowles, that had I been one of the White fullprofessors in the Department of Government inSpring 1990, Assistant Professor Jennifer Widnerwould not have dared escalate a minoradministrative issue into a full-blownconfrontationalist assault," he wrote.

In an interview last night, ReischauerProfessor of Japanese Politics Susan Pharr,current chair of the government department, calledboth Kilson and Widner "highly valued members ofthe government department." She also praisedWidner as a "very talented and able junior facultymember" and "a very caring teacher."

"Inevitably misunderstandings sometimes occurbetween people," Pharr said. "I deeply regret tohear that something that occurred more than fouryears ago, and that everyone thought was settled,has resurfaced at this time."

She declined to comment further.

Kilson said he brought the matter beforeKeohane, but the then-department chair did not"adequately" investigate the complaint.

"I was then--four years ago--and remain of theopinion that Robert Keohane conducted hisadjudication function in a perfunctory manner,quite off-handedly," Kilson wrote.

Keohane could not be reached for comment lastnight.

Kilson submitted a copy of the letter to TheCrimson yesterday evening with certain passagesblocked out. He said the redacted passages did notalter the substance of the letter.

Kilson did not include copies of correspondencebetween other government professors and himself.Those letters were, however, submitted to Knowles,Kilson said.

Another professor mentioned in Kilson's letteralso could not be reached last nigh

But "I think I'm right--otherwise I wouldn'ttake this position," Kilson added last night.

In the letter, Kilson wrote that Widner, in hisopinion, "consciously or unconsciously" sought toconfront him in public in order to humiliate himbecause of his race.

"I say without fear of contradiction, DeanKnowles, that had I been one of the White fullprofessors in the Department of Government inSpring 1990, Assistant Professor Jennifer Widnerwould not have dared escalate a minoradministrative issue into a full-blownconfrontationalist assault," he wrote.

In an interview last night, ReischauerProfessor of Japanese Politics Susan Pharr,current chair of the government department, calledboth Kilson and Widner "highly valued members ofthe government department." She also praisedWidner as a "very talented and able junior facultymember" and "a very caring teacher."

"Inevitably misunderstandings sometimes occurbetween people," Pharr said. "I deeply regret tohear that something that occurred more than fouryears ago, and that everyone thought was settled,has resurfaced at this time."

She declined to comment further.

Kilson said he brought the matter beforeKeohane, but the then-department chair did not"adequately" investigate the complaint.

"I was then--four years ago--and remain of theopinion that Robert Keohane conducted hisadjudication function in a perfunctory manner,quite off-handedly," Kilson wrote.

Keohane could not be reached for comment lastnight.

Kilson submitted a copy of the letter to TheCrimson yesterday evening with certain passagesblocked out. He said the redacted passages did notalter the substance of the letter.

Kilson did not include copies of correspondencebetween other government professors and himself.Those letters were, however, submitted to Knowles,Kilson said.

Another professor mentioned in Kilson's letteralso could not be reached last nigh