UM-Flint Bake Sale Doesn’t Spur the Expected Affirmative Action Fireworks
Beata Mostafavi, Flint (Michigan) Journal, March 19, 2008
It was a bake sale of brownies and chocolate chip cookies—all sold for 50 cents.
{snip}
“We knew it was going to rile people up,” said biochemistry major Kevin Reinwasser, 19, of Mundy Township. “We wanted to show people’s hypocrisy, let them show their own inherent bigotry.”
The bake sale caused outrage throughout campus because YAF groups at other colleges have hosted bake sales with the same name to mock affirmative action. At such sales, white students were charged high prices while minorities received discounts.
UM-Flint’s administration sent out an e-mail this week denouncing the bake sale and student groups planned protests, accusing the YAF student group of perpetuating racism, sexism and hate.
At their bake sale table today, the YAF posted a “jumping to conclusions” sign that listed all the names they’ve been called since they announced their bake sale. Among the descriptions were supremacists, hate group, sexist, fascism, bigotry and racism.
{snip}
Meanwhile, students who were initially upset about the YAF bake sale decided that instead of protesting, they would just hand out their own free baked goods.
Several students spent the day distributing cookies, donuts and other treats through campus hallways with messages inside that read “diversity makes us stronger.”
{snip}