The University of South Florida planned to launch a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) counseling program that would segregate students by race and advocate “white guilt” and “white fragility.”
According to Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo, public documents that have since been removed from USF’s online servers reveal a radical DEI scheme.
It contains “anti-racist resources” that promote left-wing political activism and highlight negative ideas about white students.
Rufo, a conservative activist, claimed on Twitter that some of the reparations include defunding the police, abolishing prison and rejecting the “white, capitalist Jesus.”
The public documents, which have since been removed from the university’s servers but obtained by Rufo, show how the programming included anti-racist resources, separate counseling sessions, and promotional materials for white students to address their “white privilege,” “white guilt,” and ” white ‘to represent fragility.’
Rufo claims that the endpoint of the program was leftist political activism and that the USF offered racially segregated counseling sessions and “white identity development” materials for Caucasians.
The University of South Florida appears to have implemented a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program that segregates students by race
Conservative activist Christ Rufo’s documents promote left-wing political activism: ‘Anti-Racist Means’, ‘Reparations’, ‘Weaken Police’ and ‘Abolitionist’
Public documents obtained by Rufo show how the programming includes anti-racist resources, separate counseling sessions, and promotional materials for white students to address their “white privilege,” “white guilt,” and “white fragility.”
A document obtained by Rufo appears to examine how racial identity is interpreted by members of different ethnic groups
In a series of tweets, Rufo suggests the programming is “the condemnation of American society” that was only exacerbated after the death of George Floyd in May 2020
Rufo suggests how the university’s DEI administrators offered the solution: “Racial education that offers racially segregated counseling sessions and encourages ‘white identity’ development for white students to come to terms with their ‘white privilege’, ‘white guilt’ and… to deal with “white fragility”.
In a series of tweets, Rufo suggests that the programming is “the condemnation of American society.” After George Floyd’s death, almost every University of South Florida (USF) supporter condemned the United States for its alleged “systemic racism,” “white supremacy,” and “interlocking systems of oppression.”
“According to these materials, white people must first enter the process of ‘disintegration,’ experiencing ‘white guilt,’ and thinking, ‘I feel bad about being white.’ Next, after having their identities destroyed, they enter a period of “reintegration,” thinking, “It’s not my fault that I’m white.”
“Finally, as whites progress through the ‘pseudo-independence’ and ‘immersion’ stages, they will begin to work ‘against systems of oppression’ and ‘exploitation.’ [their] Privilege to support anti-racist work.” In the end, their psychology should fully conform to political ideology,” Rufo tweeted.
“USF sponsors a number of racially segregated scholarship programs that specifically exclude white students. These programs are in direct violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.’
In the past, Rufo, known for his activism against critical race theory, has described CRT as “penetrating every aspect of the federal government” and “an existential threat to the United States.”
The University of South Florida is a public research university with its main campus in Tampa, Florida and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota
Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to block state colleges from running programs on diversity, justice and inclusion and critical race theory
The results come as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed legislation to eliminate all DEI and critical race theory programs in the state’s colleges, which is expected to be adopted by the state’s Republican-majority legislature in March.
The second-term governor, who is widely expected to present a 2024 White House bid in late spring or early summer, has emerged as a bitter opponent of so-called guard politics over race, gender and public health.
Such positions endear him to the GOP’s conservative base, but threaten to alienate independents and moderate voters in both parties who influence presidential politics.
Critical Race Theory is a way of thinking about American history through the lens of racism.
Scholars developed it in the 1970s and 1980s in response to what scholars saw as a lack of racial progress after the civil rights legislation of the 1960s.
It focuses on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions, which serve to perpetuate white dominance in society.
“I think people want to see real academics and they want to get rid of some of the political window dressing that seems to accompany all of this,” DeSantis said at a news conference last month, adding that critical race theory and diversity, justice and inclusion programs that known as DEI would “receive no funding, and that will wither on the vine.”
CRITICAL RACE THEORY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The struggle for critical race theory in schools has escalated in the United States in recent years.
The theory has sparked heated debate nationwide following last year’s Black Lives Matter protests across the country and the launch of the 1619 Project.
The 1619 Project, published by The New York Times in 2019 to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans on American shores, reframes American history by “exploring the aftermath of slavery and the contributions of black Americans to the Center of the USA puts narrative’.
The critical race theory debate concerns concerns that some children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist.
Opponents of critical race theory have argued that it reduces people to the categories of “privileged” or “oppressed” based on their skin color.
But proponents say the theory is critical to eradicating racism because it examines how race affects American politics, culture and the law.