A University of Minnesota webpage has described a “whiteness pandemic” in the United States and says people raised in the country grow up inside this culture. The page, run by the Culture and Family Lab under the Institute of Child Development, says White adults have a responsibility to “self-reflect, re-educate” and take antiracist action because of the “power and privilege” they hold.The site tells visitors that if they were taught the “culture of Whiteness” as children, it is not their fault. But it says adults must now examine their behaviour and work on building a “healthy positive White identity.” It adds that racism should be seen as an epidemic, but claims a deeper “whiteness pandemic” drives it.It says: “If you were socialised into the culture of Whiteness during childhood, it is not your fault, but as an adult it is now your responsibility to self-reflect, re-educate yourself, and act. If you are a White adult, antiracist action involves an ongoing process of self-reflection in order to develop a healthy, positive White identity while engaging in courageous antiracist parenting/caregiving.”Resources aimed at White parents The page lists several experts and links to material “especially for White parents,” including references to George Floyd’s death and steps to understand racial identity. It describes whiteness as a cultural system built on colourblindness, passivity and “White fragility,” calling them covert forms of racism. The site argues that families play a major role in shaping this culture from childhood. One paper on the site, based on a survey of mostly liberal White mothers with high incomes, says family socialisation into this culture “perpetuates US racism” and reflects an “insidious Whiteness pandemic.” The project receives funding from multiple sources, including the National Institute of Mental Health. Other resources include work by Ibram X Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, and a guide on explaining white privilege to children.Watchdog group raises concerns Parents’ rights group Defending Education published a report on Tuesday highlighting the university’s material. Its research director, Rhyen Staley, told Fox News that such programmes show how deeply DEI ideas are embedded in higher education. He said “absurd ideas like ‘whiteness’” gain legitimacy through “activist-academic scholarship,” and urged universities to stop these efforts. Last month, it was reported that the university was also providing K-12 teachers with ethnic studies lessons that promote causes such as defunding the police, Black Lives Matter and warnings about “white supremacy” and “settler colonialism.”
