| The University of Virginia and Cal Poly hosted workshops on dismantling Whiteness for teachers and administrators. The workshops aim to increase anti-racism and dismantle Whiteness in teaching. Both workshops were optional and took place over the course of a few sessions in October and November., The University of Virginia’s HR department encourages faculty and teachers to take a “four-part interactive weekly workshop focused on Robin DiAngelo’s book White Fragility.” The book White Fragility famously posits all White people as inherently racist. The examining Whiteness workshop exists to educate faculty and staff. The workshop’s goal is “A first step toward engaging in critical reflection on Whiteness and working toward anti-racism.” This workshop follows the Building anti-racist White educators (BARWE) model. This organization focuses on educating White people on race and racism, specifically in the college classroom. This organization received a grant from Teaching Tolerance(a project of the Southern Poverty Law center). The Teaching Tolerance website details how BARWE should center voices of color over White Voices. Previous workshop attendees described, “This workshop does an excellent job of helping you develop a deeper understanding of Whiteness by challenging you to examine your own White privilege and White racial identity.” These workshops are a further example of the increasing presence of critical race theory on college campuses. Wisconsin Standard contacted all relevant parties listed for comment and will update this article accordingly. |
