by Celine Ryan
A university professor recently admitted that her politics “silences” conservative students in the classroom.
Ingrid Walker, a professor at the University of Washington-Tacoma, tweeted in July about her own “lack of neutrality” in the classroom regarding politics, recognizing and admitting that she knows her conservative students are “silenced.”
In a response to a tweet asking “white people” what they thought of “the President of the United States continu[ing] to issue verbal and political attacks in your name and for your exclusive racial uplift,” Walker – who goes by the Twitter name “bad academic” – simultaneously acknowledged her own biases and compared her conservative students to white supremacists.
https://twitter.com/RheaBoydMD/status/1151935509033148417
“I’m a univ prof & hold space for regular discussions about racism (& other structures of hate/injustice) in all of my Am Studies classes,” Walker wrote, adding that “the inability [to] talk openly about the rampant racism/misogyny/other hate in our culture got us here.”
Despite this, I'm sure my position about US white supremacist culture & its affects silences some of my conservative students. While I invite evidence based, respectful comments that reflect on & respond to others, I know that my lack of neutrality is an issue. 2/2
— Ingrid Walker @bad.academic on Threads (@badacademic) July 19, 2019
“Despite this,” Walker said, “I’m sure my position about US white supremacist culture & its affects [sic] silences some of my conservative students.”
The professor’s disclosure came a day after a series of tweets referring to President Trump as “an accused rapist, an overt racist, a lair, [and] a cheat.”
Dear Media: Stop normalizing this racist, misogynistic & predatory president's words & actions by giving him a platform. He's an accused rapist, an overt racist, a lair, & a cheat. Don't giving lies & spin air time: fact check/print only facts. We must stop playing to his game.
— Ingrid Walker @bad.academic on Threads (@badacademic) July 18, 2019
Walker teaches about the “politics of contemporary culture in the United States” and specializes in research about drug use and drug policy. She frequently advocates for the adoption of safe injection sites.
Campus Reform reached out to Walker and UW for comment, but did not receive responses in time for publication.
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Celine Ryan is an investigative reporter at Campus Reform. Follow Celine on Twitter.
