This month, Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hosted a “White Privilege Symposium” for students and educators, offering crash courses on topics such as “White Feminism” and “White Privilege 101.”
At the two-day event, titled “White Privilege Symposium: Navigating Race, Privilege, Identity & Equity (Intersectionality): The Path Forward,” attendees received “education on topics of privilege and oppression” and “opportunities for community building and action, in order to build a more equitable world.”
According to the event description, there was specific programming geared toward target demographics such as “high school and college students, K-12 and higher education faculty, grassroots activists, social workers, nonprofit and government employees, artists, and members of the spiritual/faith community,” though the school clarifies that the symposium “is open to all people interested in fighting oppression.”
Keynote speakers at the event included Jacqueline Battalora, creator of a free e-course called “Where did white people come from?”
Battalora also wrote the book Birth of a White Nation: The Invention of White People and Its Relevance Today, in which she explains ”how the creation of this distinction divided laborers, and ultimately served the interests of the elite” and “how foundational law and policy were used to institutionalize the practice of white people holding positions of power.”
The event agenda lists 19 workshops, including five focusing on the “intersectionality” of particular subjects, specifically “Race, gender, and sexual orientation,” “Race and poverty,” “Social justice and politics,” “Black male identity and masculinity,” and “Faith and social justice.”
Other featured workshops include “White Feminism,” “How Good People Perpetuate Racism,” “Structural Racism — History and Present,” and “White Supremacy/White Privilege 101.”
Workshops specifically for educators, meanwhile, include “Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and Inclusive Curriculum,” “Navigating Racialized Interactions in the Classroom,” and “White women teaching black boys.”
According to a Facebook page created for the event, the Iowa State Board of Education has approved the symposium as “licensure renewal credit” for K-12 educators.
The event is part of the 20-year-long, privately funded White Privilege Conference project created by the Privilege Institute founder Eddie Moore Jr., which has held similar events at college campuses across the country.
The cost to attend the White Privilege Symposium at Coe was $135 for individuals and corporate organizations and $110 for education, nonprofit, and public administration employees. College students got a discounted rate of $75, and high school students could attend for just $60.
Coe College did not respond to requests for additional information regarding the funding of Coe’s hosting of the event.
Celine Ryan (@celinedryan) is a journalism student living on the central coast of California. She writes about politics, culture, and campus news.
