UNC-Chapel Hill takes pride in its “diversity and inclusion,” so why are white women still teaching introductory courses on race? All three introductory race courses in Spring 2021 were taught by white women. As of May fourth, half of the introductory race courses for fall 2021 are taught by white women. White people lack the lived experiences necessary to fully comprehend and authentically teach material about race, and allowing them to do so only facilities and upholds the colonial systems they are instructing on. There is no shortage of qualified Black, Indigenous, and other people of color to teach these classes. UNC must enforce its values by elevating the voices of people of color, particularly in an educational settings that deal with their lives.

I have only had experience with one of the white professors mentioned above, and if other white professors’ classes are anything like what I experienced, they need to be removed from teaching race courses as soon as possible. When I took SOCI 122 (Race and Ethnicity) with Professor Kathleen Fitzgerald, it was clear that her exclusive white feminism and deafness to. Her own bias would be better suited to teach a different course. She believes that because she has a sociology degree and has taught at prestigious universities, she is immune to white fragility. When I mentioned a Black organizations’ criticism of Robin DiAngelo, the author of “White Fragility”, Fitzgerald became defensive and said the criticism was unfair. Professor Fitzgerald and the system that allows her to continue teaching race courses on a regular basis must be stopped.

Other Black students have told me she has threatened them similarly.

How can you teach a race class while telling a Black student their criticism of a racial issue is not fair or valid?

Why was Fitzgerald so hostile to those who criticized Robin DiAngelo?

There are two obvious manifestations of her own discriminatory bias’. People of color should not be silenced when they express their experiences to white people.

Fitzgerald also defended her position by claiming DiAngelo grew up in poverty, as if socioeconomic statues and race are interchangeable. Fitzgerald clearly feels at ease comparing Blackness to poverty. A person who is unfamiliar with intersectionality and its importance should not be given a platform to discuss those who are affected by it. Being poor, living near Black people, or befriending Black people do not stop white people from being racist.

Please sign this petition to demand a more inclusive campus culture, hold UNC accountable for its commitment to diversity and inclusion, elevate the voices of communities of color, and hopefully set an example to other universities! If someone wants to learn more about racial issues in America, they should read a book written by people who have been affected by it. Why should a class for which students must pay be any different? Why should students of color be subjected to this ignorance and receive a substandard education? Stop putting white women at the center of equity and equality movements because they consistently fall short because they are instructing on an experience they’ll never fully understand.