White Allies Asked to Support Eliminating White Supremacy in Curriculum

White Allies Asked to Support Eliminating White Supremacy in Curriculum

Coverage of the student-organized and run "White Allies: It's Your Turn" meeting at Hillcrest Orchard. The meeting aimed to address the way that historically white academic institutions, like Middlebury, are a proponent of maintaining white supremacy and cultural hegemony. The event was a chance for white students to learn about the ways that they could advocate for racial equality outside of the classroom. The goal is for more students to become involved with the push to "decolonize the curriculum" of Middlebury, by giving voices to works that have traditionally been ignored in favor of white/western intellectuals.

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Nicole Pollack

The Campus

03/14/2019

Treasure Brooks- Student, Organizer of "White Allies: It's Your Turn" meeting,
Wengel Kifle- Student, Organizer of "White Allies: It's Your Turn" meeting

"'Repeat after me,' Brooks told the crowd, 'The academic institution is the greatest mobilizer of white supremacy.'"

"Brooks... described Middlebury as a site of colonial indoctrination, and said that the first step toward being on the right side of history is to decolonize the curriculum by incorporating diverse viewpoints that are often neglected by academia."

"Most of the academic content used in Middlebury's courses was produced in colonial and white supremacist systems, [Brooks] said, and the intentional addition of different perspectives to curricula makes the context more complete."

"Limiting the voices available to students to one dominant demographic, specifically white men, hinders the scope of their education and leaves them unprepared to face real-world issues."