Woke activist Ibram X. Kendi’s Antiracist Research Center at Boston University had laid off up to twenty members off staff amidst accusations from former workers that the organization was ‘exploitative’ and poorly managed.
Boston University confirmed the center had made 15 to 20 workers redundant from a staff of 45 as it moves towards a fellowship model.
‘The Center is evolving to a fellowship model. Dr. Kendi remains the Director. We can confirm that there were layoffs at the Center’ Vice President Rachel Lapal Cavallario told Fox News on Thursday.
‘The University and Center are committed to working with and supporting affected employees as they look for their next opportunities’ the statement read.
But staff who worked there painted a far less diplomatic picture, claiming Kendi was given too much power and that he mistreated those working for him.
He infamously implied that white people should be discriminated against to tackle the horrific prejudice previously inflicted on black Americans.
The center opened at BU during the turbulent summer of 2020 when America reckoned with nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
Woke activist Ibram X. Kendi’s Antiracist Research Center at Boston University had laid off up to twenty members off staff
Former and current staff alleged that the center had been poorly managed by Kendi
The center opened at BU during the turbulent summer of 2020 when America reckoned with nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd
Some former and current staff told the Boston Globe that the center had been poorly managed by Kendi.
‘There are a number of ways it got to this point, it started very early on when the university decided to create a center that rested in the hands of one human being, an individual given millions of dollars and so much authority,’ Spencer Piston, faculty lead of the center’s policy office told the publication.
Former assistant director of narrative at the center, Saida Grundy, said the center lacked structure and the culture was ‘exploitative’ as she was asked to work unreasonable hours.
‘It became very clear after I started that this was exploitative and other faculty experienced the same and worse,’ she told the outlet.
Kendi garnered recognition in academic circles with his 2019 book ‘How To Be An Antiracist,’ which exploded in popularity during the global movement for racial equality in 2020.
Then-president of BU Robert A. Brown said at the time that Kendi’s leadership ‘would create a critical emphasis on research and policy to help eliminate racism in our country.’
Kendi’s hiring announcement was followed by a flood of donations to BU to support the center and Kendi’s work, including a $1.5 million, three-year gift from the biotech company Vertex and a $10 million donation from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey later that summer.
Former assistant director of narrative at the center, Saida Grundy, said the center lacked structure and the culture was ‘exploitative’
Spencer Piston, faculty lead of the center’s policy office said Kendi had too much power in the organization
A few months later, The Rockefeller Foundation donated $1.5 million over two years to help fund the center’s COVID-19 Racial Data Tracker.
Kendi’s work, especially his children’s book ‘Antiracists baby’ has gained criticism for teaching children controversial critical race theory.
Kendi defended his books in June 2022 as a way to teach people, including children, to ‘see racism.’
‘Well, actually, teaching people to see racism,’ Kendi said on ‘CBS Mornings.’ ‘There’s a difference. Race is a mirage. Racism is real. And it’s – you know who’s the most likely to be harmed by racism? Our children. You know who are least likely to engage about it? Our children. That’s what’s really prevailing me to do this work.’
