2008 Woodie Awards
Dr. Grant explains importance of unity
Civic Engagement Project presents speech in honor of Sept. 11
Angela Perez
Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: News
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Dr. Grant's speech, titled "The U.S. Constitution, Multiculturalism, and Martin Luther King," drew a crowd of about 80 students and community members to the Forum 110 room to hear Dr. Grant's perspective on the relevancy of the Constitution in today's multiculturalist society.
Dr. Grant, a professor emeritus of California State University of Stanislaus, was invited to speak at MJC by the Civic Engagement Program as part of a Federal legislation requirement to host activities the week of Sept. 11 through the 15 to bring focus to the U.S. Constitution.
As an alumnus of MJC, Dr. Grant graduated in 1958 as valedictorian of his class. In 2005, he was awarded the Stanislaus County Bar Association Liberty Bell Award.
The presentation started off with a lecture of moral ideals and principles set down in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Dr. Grant discussed the moral foundation of the Republic, that America is founded upon the idea that its citizens can have a common history. American heritage is unique, in that instead of being based on ethnicity, race, or religion, it adheres to a set of moral ideals and precepts that are believed to serve everyone.
Although Dr. Grant did discuss the importance of the Constitution and Martin Luther King, the presentation's main focus was on the idea that multiculturalism is distracting society from focusing on America's unifying ideals.
"We have lost sight of those moral and political principles which provide the common ground of American political community," Dr. Grant said. In addition, the surfacing of multiculturalism changed the public's views of the Constitution's morals and principles.
Dr. Grant approached the concept that American education is now being obscured by multiculturalism and diversity. Today's society is so focused on teaching about other non-European cultures, learning about Western civilization would be considered racist and chauvinistic. Dr. Grant expressed the idea that multiculturalism is taking away from learning about the framework and ideals on which America was founded and what it means to be an American. Because of multiculturalism, we have no sense of what unifies us a country, a common history.