Harvard flap doesn't diminish value of black studies.(Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service)

The following editorial appeared in the Detroit Free Press on Thursday, Jan. 31:

X X X

The recent controversy between prominent black history scholars at Harvard University and its president _ and particularly the reaction to it _ underscores the importance of strong, viable black studies programs on college and university campuses.

Some critics, in commenting on the flap, use it as a pretext to renew their opposition to the effects of racial diversity on universities, especially the discipline of black studies.

With Black History Month beginning Friday, it's vital to remember that this discipline emerged from a uniquely American ...