Controversy Surrounding Harvard’s Anti-Racism Resources

Harvard University’s webpage designed for parents of students offers various “anti-racism resources.” Among these resources are books written by authors known for making contentious remarks regarding race. These books include Ibram X. Kendi’s “How To Be An Anti-Racist” and Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility.”

Kendi, whose original name is Ibram Henry Rogers, has a reputation for inflammatory statements about White individuals. He once wrote in his college newspaper that Europeans are “a different breed of human,” characterized by aggression and racism.

In his 2019 book, Kendi stated that discrimination is acceptable if it promotes equity, whereas discrimination that promotes inequity is not. He introduced the idea that the only way to counter past discrimination is through present and future discriminatory actions favoring equity.

The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.

He further critiqued the concept of “whiteness” at a film screening in 2023, suggesting that White people’s identities are obstructed by it. Similarly, the resource page recommends “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.” DiAngelo argues that racism is a problem created and perpetuated by White people, benefiting them in return. She stresses that White people are inherently racist.

Additional titles suggested for parents include “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad and “Raising White Kids” by Jennifer Harvey. A spokesperson for Harvard clarified that the webpage, created over five years ago, was not an official Faculty of Arts and Sciences resource.

The webpage also targets young children through resources like Kendi’s “Anti-Racist Baby,” aimed at facilitating early discussions on antiracism to shape a just society. Harvard has encountered issues of anti-White sentiment among its staff. Gregory Davis, the former dean of Dunster House, was dismissed after his social media posts from 2019 to 2024 surfaced. These posts were critical of Whites and police, endorsing rioting and looting as valid forms of protest.

In 2020, amidst high tensions between police and protesters, Davis criticized police, labeling them as “racist and evil,” and in the same year, he expressed disdain towards then-President Donald Trump after his COVID-19 diagnosis.