“He must have known coming that in the wake of the whole difficulties [involving West], that if he came and opened it up he was going to be challenged,” Grant-Thomas said.
Orfield said the awareness of potential tension had not lessened the CRP’s eagerness to include Summers in the conference—which he said was the result of a late request from the president’s office.
“Of course we were happy to have him even though he’s been involved in controversy on these issues,” Orfield said. “The conference is wide open to anyone,” he added.
—Elisabeth S. Theodore contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer Simon W. Vozick-Levinson can be reached at vozick@fas.harvard.edu.
Advertisement