Obama Harvard Video Released, Shows Young Obama At 1991 Protest For Derrick Bell, Diversity (UPDATE)

Before Andrew Breitbart's unexpected death, the conservative blogger and journalist had promised to release video footage of President Barack Obama that he said would change the election. Now, BuzzFeed has unearthed the video it believes Breitbart was referring to, according to the site's editor-in-chief, Ben Smith.

If this is indeed the footage in question, it's not particularly controversial.

In the 1991 video, which BuzzFeed licensed from WGBH Boston, a young Obama is shown speaking in support of Harvard's first tenured black law professor, Derrick Bell. Bell was staging a protest over the lack of female black professors at the school, and was taking an unpaid leave until Harvard hired a woman of color.

As Bell said at the time, "My major effort in teaching is to convince students ... that they should be ready and able to take risks and make sacrifices for the things they believe in, and their real success in life will come from making those sacrifices and taking those risks, regardless of outcome. The best way to teach that is to practice it."

In the video, Obama, who was then president of the Harvard Law Review, is shown praising Bell, while the professor stands nearby and a crowd cheers. Obama recalls how Bell spoke at an orientation for first-year students, and instead of lecturing the students, encouraged conversation.

Obama doesn't sound much different than he does today, though his presentation has improved (he keeps his hands stuffed in his pockets during his entire speech). He employs his now-signature charm, flattering Bell's "good looks" and the "excellence of his scholarship."

The video ends with Obama urging the crowd to open up their hearts and minds to Bell.

Big Government, a conservative website founded by Breitbart, is claiming that the video released by BuzzFeed is selectively edited. It promises more video to come shortly.

BuzzFeed denied editing the video, and said the site published the video they purchased from WGBH in its entirety.

UPDATE: Two Breitbart.com editors went on Sean Hannity's Fox show on Wednesday night and revealed a slightly longer version of the video.

The difference between BuzzFeed's video and the one provided by Breitbart.com? A hug between Obama and Bell.

Hannity also showed a new video, this one of Harvard professor Charles Ogletree taken during a lecture. Ogletree plays the video of Obama at the 1991 protest, and quips that the clip had been "hidden" during the 2008 election. "Of course we hid this throughout the 2008 campaign," he said, as students laughed. "I don't care if they find it now."

Although the clip of the two men hugging may not be well-known, it hasn't exactly been hidden from the public. It was included in the 2008 FRONTLINE special, 'The Choice 2008.'

You can watch the Ogletree video below:

Comments

[Charn Robinson]

11:57 AM on 10/03/2012

Ridiculous!

[robync62]

04:55 PM on 04/10/2012

And this is relevant why? Some ya-hoo added this as a link to make a point about Romney working to earn his money and Obama getting money by townie hacks. What a crock!

I want someone, anyone to articulate some valid point against President Obama. Not some made up b.s. Some policy you disagree with, some rational item of discussion. I am so sick and tired of the opposition that makes crap up, beats a drum about a non-issue and takes their "candidate's" weaknes and tries to make it stick to Obama.

[jmaradeo]

08:25 AM on 03/15/2012

Why is this an issue???? this WHOLE video was shown in 2008,on several broadcasts...i think it shows Obamas ,consistant belief in equality,and great sense of fairness,his compassion,that hes not afraid to show,and respect for professor Bell,for being the 1st black,tenured professor!!! It makes me love our president more !!!!! You can not trust the republicans running right now,they are out of touch with the majority. truth is truth,facts are facts.....its a shame,there are those who cant believe thier own eyes,or their own gut instincts ,because some one tells them to believe something ,that any normal person would say ,wow i dont know ?,doesnt seem right,?let me check on this person,place or thing.USE YOUR OWN EYES AND OWN MIND,!!!! IF IT DOESNT SEEM RIGHT ,IT PROBABLY ISNT,CHECK IT OUT !!!!!

[AlexMFClark]

07:33 PM on 03/13/2012

Why would you protest a college until they hired more black women? I would (and did in my college days) want more qualified staff and faculty, I didn't care what color/race they were. Last time I checked, Havard was the top law school in America. I don't think the racial make-up of the faculty and staff has anything to do with the quality of the education.

[Todd Vincze]

06:22 PM on 03/13/2012

Just ask him who Mr Scheer was ?(roommate) and where is he today? and his brother Bryan,

[MikeLawson]

04:48 PM on 03/13/2012

This was the damning video the right thought would change everything? Huh? Good lord, grow up, cons. We survived Bush (barely) and you will survive Obama. Don't be such whining toddler, little babies.

[Danbarr]

01:44 PM on 03/13/2012

It used to be that one had to be technically and/or professionally qualified for the job. Today you need to be racially qualified regardless of your attributes. Employers today are bound by strict quidelines regarding racial disparity in the workplace. So the bottom line is, if you are not in racial compliance you better get that way regardless of what, you the employer, thinks the applicant's qualifications are. And just try and fire one of these racially compliant employees for non-performance and see what happens. Affirmative Action rules!

[Snippert]

02:57 PM on 03/13/2012

This is entirely fabricated. It's must be awfully hot inside that bubble.

[jaguar6cy]

11:06 AM on 03/13/2012

Only a fool could read Bell's "Space Traders" and think he is not radical. Open your minds and hearts to that if you can.

[Snippert]

03:00 PM on 03/13/2012

Never read it. What's radical about it?

[thehistorybird]

09:12 PM on 05/16/2012

well it was a science fiction novel for starters...

[iamhe]

10:48 AM on 03/13/2012

the HP commenting system is clearly the worse of all the commenting systems on the web..

hard to follow, difficult to use, slow as a dog.. and impossible to find and watch the reactions of others to anything you might post....

also the moderators.. are very busy... there is much less "moderation" and more freedom on other web sites... which is to bad, because the HP is a pretty great publication... to bad their comment system is so crappy.

[iamhe]

10:35 AM on 03/13/2012

Obama was then as he is now an incredible human being, without him, I would have no hope for this country, for this social system in which we live. He is a great human being with values and principles we can believe in. The problem for him, he is being attacked from so many angles. He is in many ways surrounded by washington sociopaths. Bigots everywhere find fault with him. He has a decent smart fully functioning humane conscience. And many people see conscience as an enemy to their "freedom and liberty" to do what ever the hell they want...

If I could, I would educate America through all the media outlets, how to recognize the one in twenty five amongst us who are born as natural born -genetic defective- sociopaths. And keep them out of government, and out of the media voices.

Sociopaths disrupt every social network and system in which they participate. Sociopaths use unconscionable tactics to accomplish unconscionable objectives. To date, nothing is done to keep them out of government and big business.... Natural Born Sociopaths are keeping us from achieving a better civilization and social system in which to live, raise a family, and aspire.

[David Luesley]

11:31 PM on 03/12/2012

The dialogue is getting as neanderthal as Yahoo around here lately. Careful not to let your knuckles drag.

[socialworkingal]

09:57 PM on 03/12/2012

Fox news said that this video proves that Obama is associated with radical people. Bell's agenda was not radical, he was advocating for racial equality. What is so radical about that? And am I the only one whose respect grew after watching this video? And I can say for sure that I trust him with our country more than those republicans. He may not be perfect, but he is a better choice than the republicans running for office.

[Moonshi14]

03:46 PM on 03/12/2012

Well its a good thing he's not here anymore due to this embarrassment that didn't do a thing to change anything....good job?

[Kai Ferano]

08:28 AM on 03/12/2012

Gee, when I was in college I never had time to organize and protest. I was too busy running off to a job as soon as my classes were done for the day.

[SAJ888]

11:39 AM on 03/12/2012

Maybe you didn't find a cause you believed in enough too, because I found time and I ran off to two jobs in between and after classes.

[Diane7]

12:32 PM on 03/12/2012

If a student is carrying a full schedule and working, where is the time to organize? Maybe no job and a couple of classes would give someone the time!

[ronald kolb]

06:21 AM on 03/12/2012

The comments about this video show the depth of the divide in this country. There is no way back to the America pre-9/11, this is becoming obviously clear. To the half of country who are dissatisfied with the way things are, it will only get more lopsided toward the left side point of view. The urban versus rural, the north versus south, the left versus right, the radical versus the traditional idealogies will only give the former point of view the advantage and the latter will lose.

Unless a new revolutionary post Tea Party group emerges and calls for their own
coalition of independent states, there is no hope for the conservatives in this country. Maybe a new independent coalition much like what the South demanded during the Civil War of 1861 but without the controversial addition this time of having to deal with the issue of slavery. The nation needed to deal with this "peculiar institution" first, but much of what the South called for back then fits in today with what the conservative and traditional half of the country prefers. It is a way of life at odds with what Obama and the New Age, One World view.

And there is no way these two groups will ever see eye to eye. A new and hopefully bloodless Civil Division may be the only hope for those longing for old American way of life.
Maybe both sides can win with a bloodless but permanent civil divide?

[Kai Ferano]

06:59 PM on 03/12/2012

Sounds good to me. I think a number of Americans are hoping for that, particularly those from the Right. (of which I've become one)

[murgen21]

03:22 PM on 03/13/2012

Sounds good to me. Feel free to secede and enjoy your ignorant, bigoted, screw the poor way of life where facts and reality are no match for foolish preconceptions. Maybe the new union's motto can be "I got mine!" It would fit the American conservative worldview perfectly. Even those on the right who have very little are convinced that they will have it made soon if only their backwards social views become the law of the land and laissez faire capitalism its gospel. How stunningly deluded poor and middle class people must be to think that completely unfettered markets are what's best for their own economic well being.

Just please, while you're busy trashing your own environment, try to keep your pollution away from the rest of us. Also, keep in mind that most red states receive substantially more money from the federal government than they pay to the feds in taxes, so as you're going broke, suck it up. Don't come crying to us.

Hugs!

[MikeLawson]

04:51 PM on 03/13/2012

Allow me to be your first fan, murgen21

[Kai Ferano]

01:38 PM on 03/15/2012

murgen21 -- Not that it really matters in this exchange of ideas, but I happen to be one of the poor and categorized as disabled (thought functioning with meds). Anyway, what you call crying is just expressing our opinions, too.