Brandeis University Assistant Dean Kate Slater said in a post marking the anniversary of George Floyd's murder that 'all white people are racist' and that she hates 'whiteness,' despite being Caucasian herself.
Slater, who describes herself on social media as a 'racial justice scholar and educator,' made those controversial comments to her 5,424 Instagram followers on Tuesday.
'Yes, all White people are racist in that all White people have been conditioned in a society where one's racial identity determines life experiences/outcomes and Whiteness is the norm and the default. That includes me!' the educator wrote in all-caps.
She continued: 'I don't hate white people - I hate whiteness.'
Brandeis University Assistant Dean Kate Slater (left) took to Instagram on the anniversary of George Floyd's murder to rail against 'whiteness'
Slater, who is white, describes herself on social media as a 'racial justice scholar and educator'
Slater also used her public platform to defend critical race theory, which examines the ways in which race and racism influence politics, culture and the law.
The academic concept, which has been promoted by civil rights scholars and activists for the past 40 years, has recently come under fire from conservative educators and politicians, prompting Republican-led legislatures in several states, most recently to ban public schools and colleges from teaching it.
Some critics of the theory believe that it is rooted in Marxism and is used to sow racism and division.
Critical race theory is a reassessment of racial inequalities in the United States, which critics say emphasizes racial differences, and brainwashes white children into feeling guilty about the color of their skin.
Critical race theorists maintain that American legal and political systems are inherently racist and exist to create and further inequality between black and white people.
‘"Debates" about critical race theory are often straw men for debates about whether or not systemic racism is real. And no number of statistics or facts that I could offer are going to convince people to "see" systemic racism if they don't want to,' Slater wrote. '[Critical race theory] does not create oppression: it names oppression that already exists.'
By Wednesday afternoon, Slater had made her account private.
Her LinkedIn page reveals that Slater has a Bachelor's degree in English and theater from Skidmore College, a Master's degree in education from Northeastern University, and a PhD in educational policy from University of New Hampshire.
According to Slater's personal website, her doctoral research focused on 'the experiences of underrepresented minorities students in higher education, and in particular, at predominantly White institutions.'
Slater used her public platform to defend critical race theory, which examines the ways in which race and racism influence politics, culture and the law
She was hired as assistant dean of graduate student affairs at Brandeis just six months ago.
A spokesperson for the university was not immediately available to comment on Slater's remarks on Wednesday.
Brandeis is a $57,000-a-year private liberal arts university in Waltham, Massachusetts, where just over 5 per cent of its 5,800 students are black and more than 45 per cent are white.
Three Republican-led states have now signed laws banning critical race theory in public schools and nearly a dozen others are currently trying to pass similar bills that block or limit it from becoming part of curriculums
Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, issued a warning about critical race theory being taught in schools in his state just days ago.
Kemp wrote to the Georgia state board of education saying he was 'extremely concerned' about the spread of CRT in schools.
He said that he had spoken to parents who were 'alarmed this divisive and anti-American curriculum is gaining favor'.
Kemp said it was 'ridiculous' that federal funding could be used 'to push a blatantly partisan agenda'.
The U.S. Department of Education under the Biden administration has proposed a new rule that, if adopted, would prioritize federal education grants to K-12 public schools that promote Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project - a controversial New York Times discussion of how slavery impacted the course of U.S. history - and 'anti-racist' activist Ibram X. Kendi.
In January, President Biden issued an executive order disbanding the '1776 Commission,' an initiative formed by former President Donald Trump as a response to the 1619 Project.
A coalition of 20 state attorney generals has written to the education secretary, Miguel Cardona, asking him to reconsider proposals to introduce CRT and the controversial teachings in schools nationwide.
In New York, a teacher at Grace school in the East Village of Manhattan lost his job once he started criticizing the teachings, and a parent at Brearley School withdrew his daughter amid concern about CRT.
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