NYU held a workshop exclusively for white public school parents to ‘unlearn racism’.

Zach JewellJuly 12, 2023

Exclusive “Antiracism” Workshop at NYU Sparks Controversy

Public school parents in the Big Apple were recently offered a unique opportunity to participate in a five-month “antiracism” workshop hosted by New York University (NYU). However, there was a catch – the workshop was only open to white parents. This decision has sparked outrage and legal concerns, as it appears to be a clear violation of civil rights.

The workshop series, called “From Integration To Anti-Racist (FIAR),” consisted of six two-hour sessions held from February through June. According to the now-removed page on NYU’s website, the workshops were specifically designed for white parents committed to becoming anti-racist. The organizers even distributed a three-page flier justifying the segregation of whites from minorities during these sessions.

“It’s helpful to have a space where other white people engaged in this process can support and challenge us, without having to always subject people of color to further undue trauma or pain as we stumble and make mistakes,” the flier states.

While some participants expressed gratitude for the exclusion of minorities, fearing that their own internalized racism might cause harm, others found the irony of the situation hard to ignore. Samantha Harris, an attorney specializing in campus speech and civil rights issues, pointed out the contradiction of running a “whites only” program in the name of social justice.

“They are literally running a ‘whites only’ program in the interest of so-called social justice,” Harris said. “I find it inconceivable that the people putting these programs together don’t see the irony.”

During the workshops, parents were greeted with Woody Guthrie’s “All You Fascists Bound to Lose,” performed by the “Resistance Revival Chorus,” a group of more than 60 womxn and non-binary singers. While some questioned the exclusion of minorities from an “antiracism” workshop, Barbara Gross, one of the organizers, defended the decision, stating that people of color already face racism on a daily basis and it would be an additional harm for them to hear the racist thoughts of white participants.

NYU has stated that it will be reviewing the matter to determine if it aligns with their standards. However, legal experts argue that the exclusion of minorities from these workshops is a clear violation of civil rights.