# There are skeletons in the liberal university's closet | Tommy J Curry

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDyANilxtKQ
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/PDyANilxtKQ
Generated: 2026-01-03T16:36:34.813+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Tommy Curry argues that liberalism's core tenets, which emphasize individual freedom and equality under law, fundamentally undermine the political and economic self-determination sought by Black Power advocates, leading to the marginalization of Black men and the elevation of white women through legislation like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

**Key Points:**
- Curry asserts that the addition of 'sex' to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, intended as a pact for women, ultimately divested the Black race and economically elevated white women.
- The speaker critiques the Anglo-phonic political philosophy that equates liberalism with rationality, suggesting that resisting liberalism is often pathologized.
- Black Power (1967) advanced three primary objections against liberal coalitions, arguing that Black interests are not identical to those of white liberals, labor, or other reform groups.
- The Black Power movement advocated for political and economic independence, opposing asymmetrical coalitions with liberal whites, as detailed in Kwame Ture and Charles V. Hamilton's 'Black Power: The Politics of Liberation'.
- Curry highlights that the premise of liberal democracy, which assumes the interests of Black people align with white liberals, is a fallacy that Black Power theory rejected.
- The failure of the Civil Rights Movement to secure Black self-determination is partly attributed to the legal structures, like Title VII, which prioritized white women's protections over Black men's economic futures.
- The speaker notes that the historical argument used to insert 'sex' into Title VII explicitly warned that without it, white women would be drastically discriminated against in favor of Black men (00:00-00:14, 09:46-09:52).

![Screenshot at 00:01: The speaker points to a slide illustrating the argument that the addition of 'sex' to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a pact for women that divested the Black race and economically elevated white women.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-00-01.jpg)

**Context:** The video features philosopher and author Tommy Curry delivering a talk titled 'Skeletons In The Closet: Liberalism & the Criminological Foundations of Intersectionality.' Curry challenges the conventional understanding of liberalism and civil rights legislation, particularly Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He contrasts the goals of the Black Power movement with the perceived outcomes of liberal integrationist politics, arguing that the latter has historically served to advance the interests of white women at the expense of Black men.

## Detailed Analysis

Tommy Curry argues that liberalism, despite its emphasis on individual freedom and equality, functions to dismantle the political and economic self-determination sought by Black people, particularly Black men. He asserts that the success of the Civil Rights Movement, which he views as being undermined, was partially due to legislation like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Curry shows historical text from the Congressional Record (1964) where an amendment was introduced to add 'sex' to Title VII, explicitly warning that without it, white women would face drastic discrimination in favor of Black women (09:46-09:52). Curry contends that this amendment, while granting protections to white women, divested Black men of economic and political opportunities, giving white women an advantage (10:48-10:52). He further contrasts this with the Black Power philosophy (Ture & Hamilton, 1967), which opposed entering asymmetrical coalitions with liberal whites because Black interests were not identical to those of liberal, labor, or other reform groups (05:56-06:27). The inherent incompatibility of Black Power with liberal democratic theory, which placed racism at the center of the American ethos, necessitated that Black Power be 'shattered as a political philosophy' (07:43-07:59). Curry concludes that the liberal framework, exemplified by Title VII's interpretation, is inherently structured to maintain white power structures, evidenced by the historical context of the legislation's passage.

### Critique of Liberalism

- Liberalism is defined as a political/moral philosophy emphasizing individual freedom, equality before the law, and limited government, grounded in civil rights, but Curry suggests it has become a 'dogma' that pathologizes resistance.

### Black Power's Opposition to Coalitions

- 'Black Power' opposed entering asymmetrical coalitions with liberal whites, viewing Black political/economic rights as requiring independent action, as opposed to alliances with the 'liberal left' wing of the Democratic Party (05:56-06:27).

### Title VII's Impact

- The addition of 'sex' to Title VII (1964) is presented as a mechanism that gave white women protections, effectively divesting Black men of potential economic and educational opportunities (10:48-10:52).

### Historical Context of Title VII Amendment

- The Congressional Record (1964) reveals explicit arguments against the amendment based on the fear that white women would be 'drastically discriminated against in favor of a Negro woman' if protections were not added (09:46-10:04).

### Shattering Black Power

- Black Power was incompatible with liberal democratic theory because it centered racism, necessitating its destruction as a political philosophy, allowing gender to emerge as a more efficacious organizational concept (07:43-08:29).

![Screenshot at 00:01: Speaker presenting a slide showing the text of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 alongside a summary stating that adding 'Sex' divested the Black race and economically elevated white women.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-00-01.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:55: Slide titled 'Liberalism Has Been Made Synonymous with Rationality—It is a Moral Norm,' quoting T. Nicolaopoulos on the assumption that resisting liberalism is irrational or pathological.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-01-55.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:29: Slide titled 'The Demonization of Black \(male\) Militancy was Built into the Core Curricula,' referencing the post-Vietnam educational reform movement.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-02-29.jpg)
![Screenshot at 04:21: Slide showing book covers \('Negroes with Guns,' 'This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed,' 'We Will Shoot Back'\) to illustrate that Black self-defense and militancy were key to Civil Rights Era gains.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-04-21.jpg)
![Screenshot at 07:43: Slide titled 'Black Power Had to be Shattered as a Political Philosophy,' showing an image of chess pieces with one white piece in the center being surrounded/overwhelmed by black pieces.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/PDyANilxtKQ/00-07-43.jpg)