UPDATE: The school has defended hosting the event. In a statement to YAF, a spokesman said:
“This planned event by the Women’s and Gender Non-Conforming Center at Berea College has attracted a great deal of attention on social media, and resulted in several emails from concerned persons. To some, the provocative title of the event implies that Berea is not a welcoming place for individuals with differing political views. That is not true. At Berea, we strive to live out our motto: God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth. Berea accepts students off all faiths (or none at all), religious beliefs, ethnicities and political leanings, creating a diverse environment that encourages acceptance, respect and even appreciation across our differences. We encourage open dialog on difficult topics. Racism and white nationalism have been topics of great debate over the past five years. The event planned for next week seeks to confront aspects of the political spectrum that relate to the difficult topic of race in America. While that may cause discomfort, it is a valid and important conversation in this time of political and racial division. It is our hope that these types of conversations will occur across the country. Open, honest dialogue is essential to understanding racism and moving toward an anti-racist society.”
Berea College, a private liberal arts college in Kentucky, is hosting a ‘White Citizenship as Terrorism: Make America Great Again, Again’ event on March 17.
The event, co-sponsored by the college’s “Women’s and Gender Non-Conforming Center” and Law, Ethics & Society, will feature a zoom presentation from Amy Brandzel–author of Against Citizenship: The Violence of the Normative.
According to a flyer obtained exclusively through YAF’s Campus Bias Tip Line, the presentation “offers to resituate Trumpism and white citizenship as forms of white terrorism enacted against the majority of people living within the borders of the U.S. and beyond.”
“The offer to ‘Make America Great Again, Again,’ requires we refocus on how the last four years of daily tweets and administrative actions redefine whiteness,” the post reads.
Berea College did not respond to YAF’s request for comment in time for publication.
The school’s endorsement of such a radical claim that equates white people and Trump supporters to terrorists should not go unchallenged.
Share your concerns by emailing the president of Berea College, Lyle Roelofs, at roelofsl@berea.edu or calling him at 859-985-3520.
Are you facing bias on campus? Submit a tip to our Campus Bias Tip Line.
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