They went beyond common sense.
The required orientation for first-year students at the University of Wisconsin Law School denounced “whiteness” and denounced “colorblindness” as a tool of evil racism. According to reports.
Last week, a racial refresher was administered to incoming students as they completed their first semester of instruction at the acclaimed UW-Madison, led by Dean Daniel Tokaj.
Students were given preparatory documents in advance to understand their session obligations.
One section reminded white students that they benefited from racial oppression regardless of remedial efforts and that “there are no exceptional white people.”
“You may have attended many anti-racism workshops, and while you may not have seen people yelling racist epithets or actively discriminating against people of color, , yet experience privilege based on their white skin,” the pamphlet asserts.
This document was written by Debra Lee, lead organizer of the Community Anti-Racism Education Initiative at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota.
The site says Lee's work is aimed specifically at government officials, K-12 students, and faith groups in need of an anti-racist reboot.
Pamphlet used in Wisconsin, “general racist attitudes “Detours and actions that indicate wrongness turn into white guilt, denial, and defensiveness” lists 28 dangers that can arise on a well-meaning white person's journey to find salvation.
The document begins by addressing “colorblindness” as a means of racial avoidance for white people.
“'Color blindness denies the cultural values, norms, expectations, and life experiences of people of color,' it says. 'To say we are not different, you cannot see color. You are also saying that your whiteness is invisible. This negates the experiences of racism of people of color and your experiences of privilege.”
Another section focuses on white people trying to exorcise their innate racism by embracing New Age practices like Native American sweat lodges.
Although this trend may seem benign, Lee argues that it is actually genocidal.
“Rather than finding a spiritual path and escaping white racism, white people instead become complicit in it.”
Genocidal attacks against indigenous cultures are even more serious,” the article states.
Attendees told The Federalist that the orientation felt like a “confession” for white law students.
The session was presided over by anti-racism expert Joey Oten, the paper said.
A social justice educator once encouraged students to list slurs against various racial groups.
Stereotypes and adjectives about white people drew laughs, but the audience recalled that the room turned grim when the exercise extended to other racial and ethnic groups.
rick essenberg Wisconsin Law Institute Liberty's president and general counsel slammed the seminar.
“Student organizations are being subjected to nonsense that ignores the rule of law and true equality in order to support a racist worldview,” he said in a statement.
Spokesman John Lucas told The Federalist that the meeting was “held in partial fulfillment of ABA (American Bar Association) regulations.” standard 303 Law schools are required to provide students with education on “bias, intercultural competency, and racial discrimination.'' ”
