<p>A provocative article by Dr. Ed Holifield:
Two blacks in a freshman class of 128. This is the abysmal enrollment statistic for African-Americans at the University of Florida College of Medicine (UF COM) for 2009. Do the math. It represents 1.56 percent of the freshman class.
<p>For those of us involved in the struggle for civil rights and racial justice, this comes as no surprise. When former Gov. Jeb Bush abolished affirmative action with the stroke of a pen, there was no doubt that blacks would suffer as a consequence.</p>
<p>Blacks account for at least 15 percent of the population in Florida. Given this reality, there can be no justification for 1.56-percent black freshman enrollment at any public medical school in the state. After all, blacks pay taxes, too.</p>
<p>In addition to state funding, medical schools receive generous federal funding for residency programs and research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There is no doubt that the exclusion of blacks from a medical school, if it is racially motivated, is a violation of federal law.</p>
<p>Is the virtually total exclusion of blacks from the freshman class of the UF COM racially motivated? One cannot say with certainty. However, evidence documents that a racially level playing field does not exist.</p>
<p>Consider the case of Benjamin Mendelsohn, the white son of a wealthy contributor to powerful Florida politicians. Mendelsohn reportedly was allowed to enroll in the freshman medical class despite missing critical deadlines in the application process. Further, it has been reported that he never bothered to take the medical college admissions test (MCAT) before enrolling.</p>
<p>Mendelsohn’s path into the UF COM was greased by letters of support from the highest levels of Florida political power brokers. It is inconceivable that a black applicant to the UF COM would be accepted without taking the MCAT. It simply would not be allowed to happen.</p>
<p>The admission of Mendelsohn to the UF COM represents affirmative action for the rich, the white and the powerful.
For the rest of the article see: [Ed</a> Holifield: Two black first-year med students? Shame on UF | tallahassee.com | Tallahassee Democrat](<a href=“http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091009/OPINION05/910090323/1006/OPINION/Ed+Holifield++Two+black+first-year+med+students?+Shame+on+UF]Ed ”>http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20091009/OPINION05/910090323/1006/OPINION/Ed+Holifield++Two+black+first-year+med+students?+Shame+on+UF )</p>
xNYer
October 9, 2009, 12:40pm
2
<p>I had a hard time believing those numbers until I took a look at UF’s own data.</p>
<p>LINK: [Office</a> of Institutional Planning and Research - UF Factbook: Minority Facts - Enrollment](<a href=“http://www.ir.ufl.edu/minority/enroll.htm]Office ”>Office of Institutional Planning and Research - UF Factbook: Minority Facts - Enrollment )</p>
<p>If you click on the minority headcount by College chart you can clearly see numerous years listed.
<p>THEN in 2008 you have 23 blacks & 33 Hispanics?</p>
<p>Either I’m totally misreading the chart or something drastic happened that year</p>