(Joshua Paladino, Headline USA) Washington University’s Brown School exemplified the “soft bigotry of low expectations” in a Black History Month seminar that posed the question, “Is professionalism a racist construct?” as first reported by Campus Reform.
An accompanying YouTube video’s description complained that “‘professionalism’ has at times been used to silence and marginalize people of color” by forcing them to adhere to standards of “appearance, language, or interactions” unrelated to the job.
“In this context, so-called professionalism is coded language, a construct that upholds institutional racist policies and excluding practices,” the video’s description states.
The panelists “explore dismantling white supremacy and privilege in varied contexts.”
The presenters first acknowledged their intent to promote diversity and inclusion, apologized for the Brown School’s ownership of former Native American land, and praised “trailblazers” in African–American studies.
“We acknowledge the 1,252 black American men and women who, since Jan. 1, 2015 unjustifiably died due to police brutality and anti-black violence,” Assistant Dean Cynthia Williams asserted.
Williams said that the Brown School could have attacked professionalism from several different Identity Politics categories, depending upon the month and day.
She claimed the school could have labeled the panel: “Professionalism: Is it an ablesist construct?” or “Professionalism: Is it a misogynistic or sexist construct?” or “Professionalism: Is it a heterosexist (homophobic) construct?”
Assistant Dean Jewel Stafford outlined “the characteristics of White Supremacy Culture,” which included: Perfectionism, Sense of Urgency, Defensiveness, Quantity over Quality, Worship of the Written Word.
Then she described the urgent situations in which “white supremacy” enters the workplace.
“A black woman is 80% more likely to change her natural hair to meet social norms or expectations at work,” Stafford claimed. “Black women are 1.5 times more likely to be sent home or know of a black woman sent home from the workplace because of her hair.”
