Experts at the University of Minnesota have issued a warning about what they term a ‘whiteness pandemic,’ which they believe is fueling racism.
The university’s esteemed Institute of Child Development has launched a resourceful website aimed at parents and educators. This platform provides guidance on how to ‘halt and reverse’ the perceived detrimental effects associated with ‘whiteness.’
Specifically developed by the institute’s Culture and Family Lab, the site clarifies that ‘whiteness’ pertains to cultural aspects rather than biological ones.
Researchers elaborate that the longstanding culture of whiteness encompasses elements like colorblindness, passivity, and white fragility, which they identify as subtle manifestations of racism prevalent in the United States.
By labeling it as a whiteness pandemic, the focus shifts away from those affected by racism and towards the systemic structures that uphold it, beginning with the family unit.
These resources primarily target Caucasian communities, as researchers argue that children raised in white households are ‘socialized’ into adopting harmful racist beliefs.
‘If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the whiteness pandemic, and you can play a role in halting and reversing this pandemic,’ the website states.
‘Especially if you are white because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society.’
University of Minnesota students are seen walking to class. The university shared resources on how to combat the ‘whiteness pandemic’
Dr Gail Ferguson was the lead author of the 2021 study, ‘The whiteness pandemic behind the racism pandemic: Familial whiteness socialization in Minneapolis following #GeorgeFloyd’s murder’
It also notes that it is ‘not your fault’ if you were brought up in ‘the culture of whiteness,’ but it is up to the individuals to take ‘antiracist action’ and ‘develop a healthy, positive white identity.’
The site directs people to various videos, guides and articles outlining the issue and explaining how it can be presented to children.
For instance, links include a blog post called ‘Talking to children about racism,’ by UM psychologist Dr Katie Lingras and ‘How to explain white privilege in terms simple enough for a child’ by journalist Maressa Brown.
Defending Education – a nonprofit organization ‘working to restore schools at all levels from activists imposing harmful agendas,’ according to its website – recirculated the information shared by UM.
‘This far-left programming at a major public university is another example of how ingrained DEI is in higher education and is not going away any time soon,’ Rhyen Staley, research director at Defending Education, told Fox News.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, the nonprofit’s Senior Director of Communications, Erika Sanzi, described the ‘white pandemic’ as a ‘denigration and vilification based on race.’
‘This is a public university and taxpayers have a right to know what they are funding,’ she continued.
‘Referring to whiteness as a pandemic is dehumanizing, and while the academics will argue, they’re not really talking about white people, 99 percent of people will understand it to mean that. It’s grotesque.’
The resources and definition of the ‘whiteness pandemic’ are based on a paper titled ‘The whiteness pandemic behind the racism pandemic: Familial whiteness socialization in Minneapolis following #GeorgeFloyd’s murder.’
The project was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the Institute of Child Development and fellowships from the state-funded university located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.
Culture and Family Lab Director and lead author Dr Gail Ferguson won a 2022 award for the article from the Society for General Psychology.
In 2021, when the paper was first published, Ferguson explained that it expanded on the sentiment expressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director at the time, Dr Rochelle Walensky, who described racism as an ‘epidemic.’
The paper was written in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, one of the city’s UM is located in
The paper concluded that racism in the US is the result of children being born into ‘whiteness’ culture, from surveying 392 participants.
Everyone surveyed was a white mother, all but a few from Minnesota, with an average income range of $125,000 to $149,999.
More than 90 percent of participants had a bachelor’s degree and more than 60 percent of them described themselves as ‘somewhat or very liberal’ compared to the just 18 percent who were ‘somewhat or very conservative.’
The paper’s authors dedicated it to George Floyd, a black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparking the global Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and systemic racism.
The Daily Mail has reached out to UM’s Institute of Child Development for comment.
