by James A. Bacon
The broadsides against Bert Ellis are going national. Inside Higher Education, the higher-ed trade publication, has published an article highlighting the growing controversy over Ellis’ appointment to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. The article quotes Eva Surovell, editor-in-chief of The Cavalier Daily, whose articles sparked the furor, as saying that developments at UVa reflect the larger campus culture wars across the country.
That observation is true enough. Unfortunately, Surovell goes on to say this: “We’re just not unique in that really conservative voices are nostalgic for a time when women, when Black people and when other people of color were either banned or much less of a population here at UVA.”
Translation: Ellis and his alumni allies are reactionary racists and sexists.
I’ve got news for Ms. Surovell: Bert Ellis is CEO of Johnson Energy Storage, a developer of solid-state energy storage solutions founded by African American inventor Lonnie Johnson. Racists don’t invest in minority-owned enterprises. Racists don’t serve as CEOs of companies founded by minority entrepreneurs.
The Cavalier Daily has noted in passing Ellis’ association with Johnson Energy Storage, but you will not find the fact that the company is a minority-founded enterprise in any of the editorial assaults on Ellis’ reputation derived from its dumpster dives into the newspaper’s 47-year-old archives. That information was an easy Google search away.
Johnson earned his master’s degree in nuclear engineering from Tuskegee University. After stints in the U.S. Air Force and NASA space program, he invented the Super Soaker, a high-powered squirt gun, and made a tidy fortune. To pursue his love of scientific research, Johnson invested that fortune into Johnson Research & Development. Among its more notable inventions was the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter for converting solar energy into electricity more efficiently than existing methods.
As an independent inventor working outside the scientific establishment, Johnson has developed more than 100 patents. In 2021, his team invented a glass electrolyte separator material that represented a a breakthrough in solid state battery technology. He spun off that company into Atlanta-based Johnson Energy Storage, where he serves as founder and chief scientist. To help steer the business enterprise, he brought on board Ellis, a venture capitalist, whom he had known through Ellis’ IPO forum for some 25 years.
Racists don’t run companies that heavily recruit minority talent. Johnson Energy Storage hires minority employees, lots of them, and puts them in senior positions. Take a glance at the executive leaders portrayed on the Johnson Energy Storage website.
This information was readily available to the Cavalier Daily editorial staff when it was writing articles impugning Ellis as a racist based on a 47-year-old controversy (which the newspaper proceeded to misrepresent).
In gathering background material about Ellis, either the editorial writers did or did not check the website of the company listing Ellis as CEO. If they did visit the website, their articles ignored the fact that Johnson Energy Storage is a minority-founded company…. which is journalist malpractice in the most benign interpretation, or, far worse, a deliberate suppression of relevant information. If the editors did not bother to visit the site, it demonstrates journalistic laziness at best, or, far worse, a malicious determination to pursue only inquiries that confirmed their predetermined perception of Ellis as a bigot.
It’s safe to say that Ellis, through his mentorship of Johnson, has done more to advance the careers and wealth-building of African-American engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs than the entire Cavalier Daily staff can hope to do in their lifetimes. But, then, the village radicals of Charlottesville really aren’t interested in integrating African Americans into the business mainstream. They see themselves as champions of “social justice,” which is about tearing down the establishment, not building anything of value.
Full disclosure: The author serves on the executive board with Ellis on The Jefferson Council, which is dedicated to upholding the Jeffersonian tradition at UVa.
Just goes to show how “racist” the editorial staff at the Cavalier Daily truly is. They believe anyone how is white and successful is by definition USA racist which by definition is racist!
Intellectual laziness, in other words not bothering with getting the facts straight. And appalling ignorance of history of UVa and its tradition of allowing all opinions to be heard. Robust debate always healthy. Remember William F. Buckey’s Firing Line. Or the warm relationship between conservative James J. Kilpatrick and liberal Eugene McCarthy? Or for that matter between Jefferson and John Adams? Sadly that sort of civility and intelligent discourse has vanished and there is plenty blame to go around, both all sides of the political spectrum.
Jim, yet another superb article defending our mutual friend Bert Ellis. CD Editor-in-Chief Eva Surovell has violated every basic tenet of ethical journalism that I can imagine. She is a disgrace.
Once again, I ask that the leadership at UVA – President Ryan and Rector Clement – show the moral courage to speak out in support of Bert Ellis. They are leaving an accomplished man of proven expertise who has actually done an enormous amount to advance black entrepreneurship to twist in the wind as a result of these spurious accusations.
Leadership requires defending truth, particularly at a university that purports to still have a viable Honor System. The University of Virginia cannot be “great and good” if its senior officials knowingly allow character assassination to continue unchallenged by its student newspaper. Let the CD editors have their freedom of speech, no matter how erroneous. However, defend the integrity of a man who does not deserve to have his honor besmirched.
Tom Neale
College’74
Treasurer
The Jefferson Council
Ahh. The truth is always so refreshing. The fruits of freedom of speech. UVA’s administration needs to ensure these counterpoints are available to the student body. In the interest of presenting alternative views to encourage critical thinking. It’s just come to my attention UVA is facing some faculty retention challenges. Wonder what that’s about? Could it be the administration is kowtowing to activist students rather than supporting faculty? I’m sure this is on Bert Ellis’s radar.