‘Whiteness Pandemic’: University of Minnesota project urging White parents to ‘re-educate’ kids sparks row

The webpage has drawn intense criticism from conservative groups and is fueling polarised discussions on race, family and education in the U.S.

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Whiteness is not a biological category- University of Minnesota

The webpage titled “Whiteness Pandemic: Resources for Parents, Educators, and other Caregivers” defines whiteness not as a biological category but as a cultural system rooted in “color-blindness, passivity and White fragility.”

The informative article argues that children born into White families are socialized into this system from birth, making family structures among the most influential in perpetuating systemic racism.

According to the lab’s materials, while racism is widely acknowledged as an epidemic, whiteness represents a deeper, underlying pandemic driving that racism. “If you were born or raised in the United States, you have grown up in the Whiteness Pandemic…because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society,” the site states, urging White adults to embark on ongoing self-reflection and antiracist parenting.

The study also cited a case study done after the police homicide of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, and concluded that white mothers in Minneapolis were more apathetic or overwhelmed around discussions of his mother. The paper is dedicated to this study and written in the memory of George Floyd.

The resources include guides for White parents on how to develop a “healthy positive White racial identity”, talk to children about race and privilege, and engage in “courageous antiracist parenting/caregiving.”

Backlash and institutional response

The framing of whiteness as a pandemic has caused significant backlash.

The Fox News article reports that Parents Defending Education, a conservative “parents’ rights” watchdog group, strongly criticized the University of Minnesota’s “Whiteness Pandemic” project. They said it amounted to “far-left programming”.

Rhyen Staley, research director at Parents Defending Education, is quoted as calling “absurd ideas like ‘whiteness’” gaining academic legitimacy.

The Daily Wire published an article condemning the “Whiteness Pandemic” as unscientific and broadly accusatory. They argue that the initiative effectively paints a large swath of White Americans as perpetuating systemic racism by virtue of birth. They say this is a form of generating collective guilt.

The article notes that the original academic study behind the project surveyed a very narrow, unrepresentative demographic, which is mostly liberal, well-educated White mothers. The report questions the “generalizability of the conclusions.”

The university, however, defended the work as part of academic freedom. A spokesperson said the institution supports discussing embedded cultural structures and welcomed debate, the Washington Examiner reported.

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Defending Education’s report on the report

According to Defending Education’s own report, the University of Minnesota’s “Whiteness Pandemic” project received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and encourages White parents to adopt “anti-racist parenting/caregiving” tools.

The report also details that the underlying 2021 study from the American Psychologist and concludes that “family socialization” into what the authors call a “culture of Whiteness” drives systemic racism.

The original report from the University says this claim shifts the narrative from individual acts of racism to condemning an entire racial identity.