Employees of the Lake Washington School District in Washington state were subjected to “equity classes” where white staff members were told that because of the color of their skin they were “implicitly and explicitly upholding racism and white supremacy.”
The curriculum for the training came from Robin DiAngelo’s book, What Does It Mean to Be White? DiAngelo wrote in the book that “whiteness” or “white identity” identity means to be “socialized as a white person, enact Whiteness by implicitly and explicitly upholding racism and white supremacy, and participate in the rewards of being perceived white.”
The staff were allegedly each given a copy of the book to read. DiAngelo’s website describes “white fragility” as “a state in which even a minimal challenge to the white position becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive responses. These responses function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and maintain white control.”
Hellbound and Down 