A “Race Discussion Guide” issued by the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC) emphasizes its focus on the role and reality of White people. The Office of Equity and Inclusion created the guide with the purpose of helping UTC students, faculty, and staff navigate conversations on race.
In the 7 pages of information offered, the guide exclusively referenced White people no less than 17 times. Many of those references were linked to assumptions about White people or relationships with White people. Nowhere in the guide does it mention any other group of people by their skin color, such as Black individuals.
Assumptions specifically about White people included:
“Sometimes educators feel reluctant to raise the topic of race, especially if they are teaching in a predominantly White community.”
“Students, and White students in particular, sometimes don’t participate in discussions about race because they feel inadequate, worry they’ll be mocked, are embarrassed by their lack of knowledge, or are concerned that strong feelings will arise.”
“There are many White people who believe the best way to eliminate racism is to not talk about it and not notice racial differences at all (i.e. be ‘colorblind’).”
“It is often the case that White people who have always been in the majority do not think about their own racial identity the way that people of color often do.”
“Recognize that learning about race and racism is a process because many White students may not have had the opportunity to reflect on and discuss it.”
“Sometimes White students think that race does not apply to them and includes only people of color.”
The guide didn’t specify which resources were used to establish those conclusions.
The OEI Director for UTC, Rosite Delgado, wrote the introductory letter on the guide. Delgado didn’t respond to requests from The Tennessee Star for the resources and data relied upon to make the guide. It is unclear how this guide is used on campus.
The UTC guide also included a section specifically on addressing “White privilege in non-defensive ways.” It noted that, although White individuals might feel anxiety or become defensive about the topic, the discussion shouldn’t induce guilt. It suggested that experiences of ageism – discrimination based on age – might allow students to better understand White privilege.
“The goal should be to help students understand and analyze issues of power and privilege as they relate to racism,” read the guide.
In another section addressing how students could act as “allies,” the only group offered guidance were White people. The guide stated that White people should identify, condemn, and challenge racism.
The final three pages were devoted to discussions of race and racism in the UTC workplace. The guide asserted that conversational roadblocks included: not noticing skin color, not talking about differences, and not wanting to say potentially inappropriate things for fear of retaliation.
Information on the document suggested that UTC published the guide last August.
As The Star reported previously, OEI was also responsible for its Moving Our Campus (MOC) Forward series on dismantling racism, which initiated this semester with a speaker addressing White allies and accountability.
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Corinne Murdock is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and the Star News Network. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to [email protected].
Photo “University of Tennessee – Chattanooga” by UTC.
UTC is becoming irrelevant and that is a shame. It had great potential before the PC squad took over.
. . . and . . . that is why parents should not send their child to U.T. Chattanooga
Racist Bullshite, coming from Idiots.
Stupid UT Chattanooga. Looking for made up garbage and I’m being nice! Racism is a two way street! Keeping it real!
That’s right you idiots, let’s continue to fan the flames of racism with the phony “white privilege” and white’s are stupid B.S. If I had a child at UT Chattanooga they would be gone within 24 hours of this garbage being circulated. Wake-up everyone this kind of rhetoric is inflammatory and promotes the presumption that all whites are racist which is blatantly false.
Good grief! Let’s stop all this finger pointing and start utilizing our time doing something worthwhile.
Simply put: Antiracism is Racism in blackface.
By insisting that I acknowledge *your* race, you force me to stop being “color blind.” You insist that your skin color/culture be the important factor in my interaction with you. By constantly focusing on “White” people, there is a level of stereotyping *them*, is there not?
This is not about “equality” or “equity”. This is about power, a nasty power gathered by “victimhood”, fueled by misguided notions of “fairness” and virtue signaling.
For the record, I don’t want to participate in such discussions, not because of fear of folks “of color”. I don’t want to participate, because it’s a waste of time and resources.
I worked in a job with wide diversity, Chinese, Japanese, White Black, Native American, Gays, Lesbians, Transgenders..etc. We were expected to treat everyone with respect & with professionalism, no matter their race, color or creed. One individual, a black lady, continuously made snide renard’s alluring to color, with no repercussions. Everyone kept a wide birth around her. One day someone had brought a white cake to honor a co-workers birthday. When offered her piece of cake she said no, she didn’t eat anything white like that, only black or chocolate. It was passed over. After the meeting I asked her who she thought she was, we were all coworkers & just because she happened to be black we had to put up with her racial remarks, which we’d have been fired for making (as I expected to be for even broaching the subject with her). It broke the ice, realized she was immune to her comments, while we had basically been censored. After that she kept ker comments to herself, she was happier at work, people came around her & her & I became good friends, did things after work together & enjoyed lunches out with co-workers. There’s a lot to be said about being color blind & just treating people as individuals with mutual due respect. There are rich & poor blacks, rich & poor whites, rich & poor in all races & colors. There are good, honest, trustworthy, loving, caring people in all races as there are bad, dishonest & hateful people in all races. I have, in my family, Whites, Blacks, Native American, Filipino, & Lesbians & we are all created by the Lord God Almighty as individuals, all Loved by Him.