How many local schools hired Ibram X. Kendi to speak?

[Anonymous]

And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

[Anonymous]

Holton. Really annoyed me at the time. Admin refused to answer questions relating to if they believe in all the things he preached. Even started a white anti-racism group also known by the girls as a “the hate myself” group. Hopefully new head will reverse some of the damage that it did.

[Anonymous]

I should say they didn’t hire him but had all faculty read his book and then discussed.

[Anonymous]

I am not sure what you're getting at?

The issue as I see it is that Kendi relied on a grant model in his center to advance the agenda. I work in a university and have grants. They are relentless. They are not super equitable about who does how much work and how much they are compensated. They are grueling. They are very top-down and rigid. Looks like that was all felt at his center and he's re-imagining it to be a fellowship model, which seems much more equitable and manageable and probably a better fit; that said, grants are a good way to get funded, so there are negatives, too. Totally understandable that people would gripe about working conditions and restructuring (both are so so common in universities) and that he would respond with a shift accordingly, with the support of the Provost.

This is not an indictment of his character or views or values at all. This is an office management shake up. It has no relationship with the content of his book or his actual thought-leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure what you're getting at?

The issue as I see it is that Kendi relied on a grant model in his center to advance the agenda. I work in a university and have grants. They are relentless. They are not super equitable about who does how much work and how much they are compensated. They are grueling. They are very top-down and rigid. Looks like that was all felt at his center and he's re-imagining it to be a fellowship model, which seems much more equitable and manageable and probably a better fit; that said, grants are a good way to get funded, so there are negatives, too. Totally understandable that people would gripe about working conditions and restructuring (both are so so common in universities) and that he would respond with a shift accordingly, with the support of the Provost.

This is not an indictment of his character or views or values at all. This is an office management shake up. It has no relationship with the content of his book or his actual thought-leadership.

If accurate, the accounts of workplace conditions at the center are an indictment of his character. You can agree or disagree with his ideas, views, and values, but it is indisputable that he is not willing to engage in free debate about his views, and his proposed solution for addressing systemic racism involves totalitarian measures.

[Anonymous]

What I want answers for is why so many public and private schools threw money at him to come speak for an hour instead of using that money for actual DEI projects. It stinks of performative celebrity-chasing non-work to impress an audience that isn't even impressed by it. Nobody is more inspired to pay tuition because Kendi came to speak.

None of this is a complaint about his work or ideas, which can be debated separately. There are many amazingly contributive people that aren't woth $20K for an hour zoom call.

[Anonymous]

It made schools feel good about themselves. I am a liberal and thus would have preferred any money spent on the DEI train would have instead been spent on scholarships for URMs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It made schools feel good about themselves. I am a liberal and thus would have preferred any money spent on the DEI train would have instead been spent on scholarships for URMs.

this, so money spent on performance not substance. And then they keep asking parents to donate more

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure what you're getting at?

The issue as I see it is that Kendi relied on a grant model in his center to advance the agenda. I work in a university and have grants. They are relentless. They are not super equitable about who does how much work and how much they are compensated. They are grueling. They are very top-down and rigid. Looks like that was all felt at his center and he's re-imagining it to be a fellowship model, which seems much more equitable and manageable and probably a better fit; that said, grants are a good way to get funded, so there are negatives, too. Totally understandable that people would gripe about working conditions and restructuring (both are so so common in universities) and that he would respond with a shift accordingly, with the support of the Provost.

This is not an indictment of his character or views or values at all. This is an office management shake up. It has no relationship with the content of his book or his actual thought-leadership.

You know you’d never, ever forgive similar working conditions from someone you politically disagreed with. What happened was appalling and you need to be honest, not obfuscate. Don’t be a hypocrite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not sure what you're getting at?

The issue as I see it is that Kendi relied on a grant model in his center to advance the agenda. I work in a university and have grants. They are relentless. They are not super equitable about who does how much work and how much they are compensated. They are grueling. They are very top-down and rigid. Looks like that was all felt at his center and he's re-imagining it to be a fellowship model, which seems much more equitable and manageable and probably a better fit; that said, grants are a good way to get funded, so there are negatives, too. Totally understandable that people would gripe about working conditions and restructuring (both are so so common in universities) and that he would respond with a shift accordingly, with the support of the Provost.

This is not an indictment of his character or views or values at all. This is an office management shake up. It has no relationship with the content of his book or his actual thought-leadership.

If accurate, the accounts of workplace conditions at the center are an indictment of his character. You can agree or disagree with his ideas, views, and values, but it is indisputable that he is not willing to engage in free debate about his views, and his proposed solution for addressing systemic racism involves totalitarian measures.

Lol you do not work at a university!

[Anonymous]

Gds

I remember looking if they were also going to bring in someone from 1776 or the other side, and they never did. Depends on the moderator anyhow.

[Anonymous]

I’m not white but I think Kendi is way over hyped. I think he is divisive which is not helpful in any type of long term strategy.
People are getting tired of his rhetoric.
How much did these schools pay him to come speak?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

I’m confused. This article talks about how the school is looking into his restructuring of his center from a grants-seeking organization to a fellowship-based model, resulting in layoffs of more than half the staff (19 people). It says nothing against his views or book, in fact all the quotes from BU admin specifically recognize the importance of his views and vision and say they look forward to continuing to work with him. How do you se this article as some kind of indictment that would require a mea culpa from schools that read his book or had him speak?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not white but I think Kendi is way over hyped. I think he is divisive which is not helpful in any type of long term strategy.
People are getting tired of his rhetoric.
How much did these schools pay him to come speak?

$20k minimum donation

Poorly written books and one can drive a truck through his glossed over assumptions and premises.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And how much did they pay him? Sidwell did, and recommended his book. Will there be any sort of mea culpa from the administrators who thought it was a good idea to force our kids to listen to him?
https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/bu-launches-inquiry-into-center-for-antiracist-research/

I’m confused. This article talks about how the school is looking into his restructuring of his center from a grants-seeking organization to a fellowship-based model, resulting in layoffs of more than half the staff (19 people). It says nothing against his views or book, in fact all the quotes from BU admin specifically recognize the importance of his views and vision and say they look forward to continuing to work with him. How do you se this article as some kind of indictment that would require a mea culpa from schools that read his book or had him speak?

Read the tea leaves PP.

Donations dropped, his view is highly controversial, and he did nothing with the donations except pay staff to do nothing.