Tucker Foundation Stands by its Choice
To the Editor:
While I do not believe that controversy is necessarily a bad thing for an intellectual community, as chair of the search committee I would like to clarify a few things that have not made their way into the current discussion surrounding the appointment of James Tengatenga as the next dean of the Tucker Foundation. First, the committee unanimously recommended James on the basis of his life experiences, strength of character, eloquence, ability to listen, commitment to moral leadership and service, how he has lived his values of serving the poor and fighting government corruption and his vision for how he could contribute to our community. The committee members themselves were diverse in their personal belief systems and queried James about his ability to function and thrive in a secular university. His expressions of respect for each human, individual life moved us.
Recent statements circulating about Tengatenga's views on homosexuality do not correspond to the conversations we had with him, including discussions on this very subject, and we welcome his clarifications, published July 18 on Dartmouth Now. Marriage equality has become a straightforward civil rights issue, and it is important that the next dean of the Tucker Foundation have full respect not only for the law, but also for all members of our community. We experienced James Tengatenga to be such a person.
Irene Kacandes, chair, Tucker Dean search committee
Tengatenga's Accountability
To the Editor:
The announcement that the Right Rev. James Tengatenga has been selected as the dean of the Tucker Foundation raises questions beyond his personal beliefs and statements on homosexuality and gay marriage. The question is whether Tengatenga actively collaborated with, or passively endorsed, those who sought to persecute Malawi's gay population.
Bishop Tengatenga is a past chair of the Malawi Council of Churches (MCC), to which his diocese belongs. In November 2012, the organization successfully pressured the Malawian government to reverse newly implemented legislation that prohibited gays from being arrested. Said legislation was only enacted under international pressure, according to the The Independent. Malawi's president, Joyce Banda, went on to advocate for the decriminalization of homosexual acts during her 2012 campaign and was strongly criticized for pushing gay rights as an attempt to satisfy Western nations that donate to Malawi.
Tengatenga must address his actions or inaction, as the case may be, in the matter of this anti-gay legislation. Did he protest or abstain from the council's actions? Did he stand idly by while others sought to continue the persecution? Tengatenga's recent statement is reassuring but does not explicitly address or repudiate any involvement with the Council's stand in support of anti-gay legislation in Malawi. Did he show courageous moral leadership in Malawi in 2012?
Regardless of his views on homosexuality and gay marriage, there was a moral imperative for him to speak out against the injustice of Malawi's harsh anti-gay laws. The dean of the Tucker Foundation serves as the moral conscience of Dartmouth, and these questions must be answered.
**Andrew Lewin '81, former member,
Tucker Foundation Board of Visitors*
