New York University hosted an "anti-racism" workshop for white parents of New York City public school students, turning minority parents away from the seminar that legal experts say was "quintessentially illegal."
"From Integration to Anti-Racism" met six times from February to June and cost $360, according to a program description that has since been removed from the university's website. The workshop was organized by NYU's Steinhardt School of Education "specifically for white public school parents" committed to "becoming anti-racist" and establishing "multiracial parent communities."
Participants were given a handout to explain "why we are meeting as white folks for these six months" a few days before the first session. Produced by the nonprofit Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere, the handout claimed that white people need spaces where they can "unlearn racism" without causing "undue trauma or pain" to minorities.
According to audio and video obtained by The Washington Free Beacon, organizers stressed the need for a "white space" on the first day of the program, with Barbara Gross, the associate director of Steinhardt's Education Justice Research group, assuring parents that it was necessary.
"People of color are dealing with racism all the time," Gross reportedly said. "Like every minute of every day. It's a harm on top of a harm for them to hear our racist thoughts."
The Free Beacon spoke to five attorneys who said the whites-only workshop violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, which applies to federal funds recipients.
Dan Morenoff, executive director of the American Civil Rights Project, told the Free Beacon that, because NYU charged parents to attend the sessions, it also likely violated laws that ban discrimination in contracting.
"It's quintessentially illegal," said Ilya Shapiro, the director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute. "This episode illustrates the horseshoe theory whereby left- and right-wing radicals end up agreeing on race-based societal balkanization. It's like that social media meme: 'Woke or KKK?'"
NYU told the Free Beacon it would be "reviewing these matters to determine whether they conform to our standards."
The first workshop meeting reportedly included approximately a dozen parents and lasted two hours. After participants shared their pronouns, organizers performed a land acknowledgment and outlined the session rules.
According to the Free Beacon, Jordan Feigenbaum, a parent in attendance, serves on the Community Education Council for New York City's District 13. The council is an elected body that reviews school curricula and approves district zoning lines.
Feigenbaum publicized his participation in the seminar when he ran for office, claiming that the program would add to his ability to serve the district.
A discussion of Tema Okun's "Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" also reportedly took place during the workshop, which argues that "perfectionism," "a sense of urgency," and "worship of the written word" are included in these characteristics.
"I've been correcting grammar a lot and typos, and reading this I was thinking, 'Wow, I had no idea,'" one parent, who self-identified as an editor, reportedly said.
Another parent worried that the characteristics of white supremacy culture were almost the same as the values of her law firm. Gross responded that it wasn't surprising because American law "was built on racism and white supremacy."
As the session drew to a close, participants were assigned readings for their next meeting and were asked to share what they learned that day "with another white person."
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