MEDFORD, Mass. –An editor at a Tufts University conservative journal has apologized for publishing a satirical Christmas carol that ridiculed Black students and campus affirmative action policies.
The controversial carol, entitled, “O Come All Ye Black Folk,” was published in the most recent edition of the Primary Source, which bills itself as “the journal of conservative thought at Tufts University.”
The parody of “O Come All Ye Faithful” calls Black people “boisterous” and proclaims, “Born into the ghetto. O Jesus! We need you now to fill our racial quotas.”
The lyrics also say, “No matter what your grades are, F’s, D’s or G’s, give them all privileged status.”
Douglas Kingman, the journal’s news editor, said the satire was intended to call attention to affirmative action policies that he and other magazine staffers feel are unfair.
“The Primary Source regrets that the purpose of the carol was not clearly communicated. The carol was intended as a satirical criticism of affirmative action and was, in fact, intended as an anti-racist statement,” Kingman said in e-mailed press release.
In a subsequent interview with The Associated Press, Kingman acknowledged that some students may have been offended or hurt by the lyrics.
