White Privilege Conference Claims Those Who Help Black People Are Like Racist Alcoholics

The White Privilege Conference claims everyone is racist, even those involved in helping the black community even if they are not African American themselves. But now a taxpayer-funded event is attempting to teach people that white people can never help but be racist and claims they should be treated like alcoholics.

In a related report by The Inquisitr, Bill O’Reilly believes President Obama believes in the white privilege concept, which was denounced by students when a Wisconsin school began teaching it:

“They’re dividing the students. They’re saying to non-whites, ‘You have been oppressed and you’re still being oppressed. This is a radical left agenda and ideology that is now embedded in our school. If you’re white, you’re oppressing. If you’re non-white, you’ve been a victim.”

The White Privilege Conference website says, “WPC is a conference that examines challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and offers solutions and team building strategies to work toward a more equitable world.” I remember clearly the first time I ran into the mindset that believes in the white privilege concept. I was discussing complaints about potential racism with a friend when she startled me by claiming Abraham Lincoln was a racist. When I asked for an explanation I was told Lincoln was a product of his time period. She also insisted that people in general can not help but being racist toward others of any other differing genetic background and that she herself was racist in some way.

To a certain extent, these beliefs about Lincoln being racist at one point were true based upon a speech given years before writing the emancipation proclamation:

“I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races—that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this, that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.”

Obviously, Lincoln began to change his mind over the years, but those hosting the White Privilege Conference claim that change is impossible. For example, a former high school teacher named Kim Radersma proclaimed this very message to the gathering of public school administrators and teachers:

“Being a white person who does anti-racist work is like being an alcoholic. I will never be recovered by my alcoholism, to use the metaphor. I have to everyday wake up and acknowledge that I am so deeply embedded with racist thoughts and notions and actions in my body that I have to choose everyday to do anti-racist work and think in an anti-racist way.”

Radersma is apparently working on a PhD in “critical whiteness studies” and she believes that public school system educators need to instill politics into everything they teach:

“If you don’t want to work for equity, get the f**k out of education. If you are not serious about being an agent of change that helps stifle the oppressive systems, go find another job. Because you are a political figure.”

The White Privilege Conference even claim that anyone who gives to charities helping people of other races are being racist. They claim that people are suffering from a “savior mentality” that is “demeaning to the people on the receiving end.”

To give you an idea about the agenda of this White Privilege Conference, here is a list of some of the names for panel presentations:

• “Stories from the Front Lines of Education: Confessions of a White, High School English Teacher”
• “If You Build It, They Will Come: Developing a Pre K-12 Curricular Scope and Sequence for Whiteness and Anti-Racism”
• “Climate-Change-Mind-Set: Replacing White Liberalism with Racial Justice as Our Communities Organize in Response to Climate Change”
• “Against the Tea Party Movement”

The White Privilege Conference has also been controversial because it’s attempted to block access to any reporters who may disagree with their message. Fortunately, some did manage to get in which is how we know message is being spread to others in the American school system. The WBC also claims they are not taxpayer-funded but various reports have documented how the WBC received $18,375 in taxpayer money, which doesn’t include the funds spent by school districts that paid to send their people to hear this message.

At this point in writing this I’m really having to work hard to not insert my own opinion. Instead, I will simply point out that Martin Luther King Jr. probably would have disagreed with the overall message these people people are spreading through the public school system by highlighting this quote:

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’… I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

What do you think about the claims of the White Privilege Conference?