The
Michigan
Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Southern
California’s
school of social work have taken steps to ban the word “field” on official documents, citing racist implications.
In a Monday memo, the University of Southern California’s Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work informed students, faculty, and staff that it would no longer use the word “field” or “field work” from its curriculum and would now use the term “practicum” instead because the word “field” was linked to slavery.
SIX TEXAS MEDICAL SCHOOLS HIT WITH LAWSUIT FOR ANTI-WHITE AND ANTI-ASIAN ADMISSIONS
“This change supports anti-racist social work practice by replacing language that would be considered anti-Black or anti-immigrant in favor of inclusive language,” the letter said. “Language can be powerful, and phrases such as ‘going into the field’ or ‘field work’ may have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign.”
Today, @uscsocialwork sent out this letter announcing that they will no longer use the word “field” (as in “conducting field work”) because it’s perceived as racist. Is this with merit or empty virtue signaling? @elonmusk @IngrahamAngle pic.twitter.com/kgM9p4MAb5
— Houman David Hemmati, MD, PhD (@houmanhemmati) January 10, 2023
In a statement to the Washington Examiner, Cherise Trump, the executive director of the free speech organization Speech First, blasted the university’s policing of language, noting that “the absurdity of ‘approved speech’ coming from our universities often stops people from understanding the significance of just how bad it has actually become for students on these campuses.”
Trump, who is not related to the former president, added: “Administrators are employing despotic tactics not only to suppress students’ voices, but to also teach students that because anything can be ‘offensive,’ students should let universities be the arbiter of what is right and wrong. It is imperative that these desires to censor and compel speech on campuses are taken seriously. Board members, faculty, state, and federal lawmakers need to act when they see their universities putting speech codes in place, no matter how ridiculous.”
The censorship of the word “field” was not limited to USC. A similar story unfolded in Michigan, where officials at the state’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a memorandum on Jan. 4, which said the department would no longer use the terms “field work” or “field worker” due to its supposed racial connotation,” the Washington Free Beacon
reported
.
“Recently, staff and stakeholders have raised concerns about the use of the term ‘field worker’ and its implications for descendants of enslaved Black and Brown individuals,” the memo says. “While the widespread use of this term is not intended to be harmful, we cannot ignore the impact its use has on our employees.”
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The department said staff should use the terms “community/local office” and “community/local staff.”
“This action is a small step towards creating a culture that values the contributions and voice of all employees,” the memo read.
