I am writing this letter in response to the comments the chancellor made about the Rev. Jeremiah Wright that were published in the Dallas Morning News and picked up by other news media.

Specifically, Chancellor Victor Boschini commented that: “Giving an award [to Wright] is another matter, and in this specific case in light of Rev. Wright’s recently discovered remarks, TCU would not give such an award.” Additionally, recently the Board of Trustees voted to prohibit Brite Divinity’s award ceremony honoring Wright from occurring on campus because of safety concerns.

As a TCU alumnus, a former board member of TCU’s D.C. Metro Area Alumni Chapter and current member of the National Alumni Board, I feel compelled to address the chancellor’s comments and the Board’s recent decision.

Let me begin by saying that this letter is not meant to admonish any of TCU’s leadership for personal views regarding the substance of Wright’s comments that were captured and published to the general public. I have dear friends in the TCU administration and leadership circles that have been advocates for me on many occasions and I respect their feelings about Wright’s comments.

In my opinion, Wright’s widely publicized comments were indeed over the line, and similar to Sen. Barack Obama, I reject those views without equivocation. His comments do not reflect my view of our country. However, I am writing to express my disappointment in the chancellor’s comments and to encourage discussion on a tough social issue facing the graduates of our campus – race relations in America.

I take issue with his comments for three main reasons. First, it fails to fairly and fully consider either the context of Wright’s lifetime of preaching and service to the community. That is to say, it appears the chancellor’s judgment of Wright is based on the isolated comments published in the media rather than his 36 years of service to his community. I am disappointed because it does not appear the chancellor considered Wright’s entire record before making them.

Second, the comments were dismissive of the thoughts and views of the Americans to whom Wright was ministering and suggest Wright’s comments had no value other than to offend a majority of Americans. They failed to recognize they were based on real concerns and beliefs by many Americans and are a part of conversations that happen in churches all over the country on any given Saturday or Sunday. These are individuals that our graduates will encounter in their lives and at the workplace and who are part of our national community.

Third, it failed to take advantage of an opportunity for TCU to lead in a national discussion regarding race relations in America. A recent New York Times article found that Wright’s comments coupled with Obama’s speech has sparked a new and modern dialogue about race in America on college campuses. Students are using those comments to engage in discussion and learn more about different views and the basis for those views.

In distancing Wright from the university, it has also helped to distance TCU away from this important discussion. Moreover, with Wright coming to campus to receive an award, our university missed the opportunity to be at the forefront of this discussion.

We could have leveraged his appearance to allow our students to lead discussions on race in America with the world watching. In my opinion, that experience would have been a great way for our students to “learn to change the world.” I appreciate that it is often difficult to negotiate the area of race in America. But it has been my experience at TCU and other graduate schools I have attended that learning to change the world through higher education is not for the timid or faint of heart.

It is important to engage and tackle difficult issues, especially when they are placed in your lap. I learned more about myself and other people while I was at TCU than any other time of my life. My time there gave me tools I need to succeed in my profession, with my family and be part of my community. I did not acquire those tools by dismissing the views of others or distancing myself from tough situations.

Zuberi B. Williams is an alumnus and an assistant attorney general for the District of Columbia.