A public university in Indiana has received a sizeable grant to establish a project designed specifically toward educating white students and faculty on issues related to race as well as disrupting racism on campus.
The “White Racial Literacy” project at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, or IUPUI, is a project “for white people, led by white people” that administrators say is designed to help white people realize the role they play in improving the racial climate on campus.
“We had the idea to do something that brought white people into a conversation about race,” said IUPUI Education professor Lori Patton-Davis, who spearheaded the initiative. “And not in a way that is attacking them or to promote guilt but to really engage in genuine dialogue about racism on campus and helping them to identify their stake in improving the campus.”
While there was a single instance of racist fliers being posted on campus in November 2016, racist events on campus appear to be quite rare. However, one student has complained of hearing people mock the accents of international students.
“A lot of times it’s like subtle comments that your hear in the library or you’ll hear someone making fun of an accent of international students. I feel like that’s really common,” said Vandana Pawa, a graduate student at IUPUI.
According to Patton-Davis, the program will not only focus on ways in which students can support others who may feel uncomfortable with certain types of speech, but will also seek to address whether “ideology” and “mindset” creates such an environment that makes other students feel uncomfortable.
“Most of the time it’s about how do we support the students who are feeling uncomfortable or feeling attacked and targeted. Yes, that’s important. We need to do that,” Patton-Davis said. “But we also need to address the ideology and mindset that creates a space where these students don’t feel comfortable.”
According to the College Fix, “The catalyst for the award was last year’s white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.”
Patton-Davis plans to use the racial justice and equity grant to “shift the culture” on campus.
Funds for the White Literacy Project come from the Lumina Foundation and an IUPUI “Welcoming Campus Innovation Fund.” The Lumina Foundation boasts donations to the tune of $1.6 million in “racial justice and equity” grants. The IUPUI “Welcoming Campus Innovation Fund” is funding 22 proposals that “exemplify what it means to be a welcoming campus” and “advance our goal to become a more inspiring destination for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the community.”
