DR TABIA LEE: I was fired as diversity chief. Woke extremists are taking over America’s colleges

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs on college campuses are being turned on their heads.

Instead of promoting creative new ideas, fairness and welcoming spaces, DEI departments have been hijacked by ideological extremists to enforce ideological compliance.

Believe me, I should know.

In August 2021, I was hired to lead an institution wide transformation as a faculty director for the Office of Equity, Social Justice, and Multicultural Education at De Anza Community College in Cupertino, California. As a life-long teacher, dedicated to pursuing diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and equity and equality in education this was a dream come true.

Unfortunately, my dream job quickly became a nightmare. And ultimately, I was fired.

I have now come to recognize that adherents of ‘critical social justice theory’ at De Anza College, who view all social dynamics through a lens of power and privilege, also use it as a cudgel to beat down and silence anyone with whom they may disagree.

Even I, someone who some may assume would be on the side of so-called ‘social justice warriors,’ was too heterodox in my thinking. And I was bullied out.

To be clear, I am not a liberal or a conservative, nor a Republican or a Democrat. I don’t identify as a radical, progressive, or feminist. I have spent my life avoiding labels. I am an educator, scholar, humanist and critical thinker. And it is people like me who are – sadly – being chased out of education.

During the hiring process at De Anza, I was told that the previous leadership running the Office of Equity was ‘too woke’ and alienating people. Their approach was apparently very aggressive. They would ‘call people out,’ and accuse them of racism.

It was a sentiment echoed by multiple individuals in over 60 hours of conversations that I conducted to assess the needs of the campus. Many expressed discomfort with the college’s intellectually oppressive culture and rigid ideologies.

So, I assured the hiring committee that my approach would be different. As I have all my career, I pledged to create spaces of inquiry where diverse and even divergent viewpoints could be heard would be welcomed and accepted. It is my belief that through this process, people can find areas of commonality and work together in the best interest of students.

Little did I know that this approach would be considered a threat by De Anza College ideologues. And conflict erupted almost immediately after I was hired.

I discovered that fellow faculty and administrators were using definitions for White Supremacy that I was not familiar with. To me, White Supremacy is associated with White Nationalism, the KKK, and Neo-Nazi organizations.

Instead, at De Anza College, White Supremacy was often associated with qualities, such as being on time, objective thinking, using written communications, setting an agenda, and demonstrating a sense of urgency.

These beliefs were aligned with the work of a scholar named Tema Okun and these re-definitions of White Supremacy were not only perpetuated at De Anza College but throughout the California Community College system.

I set out to engage with the De Anza community to develop a better understanding of various words and practices.

I questioned why De Anza’s official communications capitalized some student racial categories and not others. For example, the word ‘black’ was capitalized, while the word ‘white’ was not. I questioned the use of terms like ‘Latinx’ and ‘Filipinx’ to refer to people of Latino and Filipino descent. In my years of experience working with Spanish-speaking and working-class communities, not once did the community ever use those terms to describe themselves.

I believe that terms like ‘Latinx’ are manipulations of language that originated in the Ivory Tower of academia.

Instead, at De Anza College, White Supremacy was often associated with qualities, such as being on time, objective thinking, using written communications, setting an agenda, and demonstrating a sense of urgency.

These beliefs were aligned with the work of a scholar named Tema Okun and these re-definitions of White Supremacy were not only perpetuated at De Anza College but throughout the California Community College system.

But when I raised these topics for exploration, there was never constructive engagement. Instead, I was put under the spotlight and accused of being aligned with right-wing extremists.

For attempting to set an agenda for meetings, I was accused of Whitespeaking and Whitesplaining and supporting White Supremacy.

As a faculty director, not an administrator, I assumed that I would be permitted all of the academic freedoms of speech and expression that a tenure track position is usually afforded. I was wrong.

In fact, my tenure review process was subverted by ideological extremists, who used it to harass, bully and eventually fire me.

I now have a better understanding of the dominating ideology at work at De Anza College and throughout many of our California Community Colleges.

Unfortunately, a few bad actors working under a banner of ‘Critical Social Justice’ are subverting the tenure review processes and creating an ideological litmus test for career advancement.

A tenure review process, or any teacher evaluation process should be an objective, evidence-based process. In my case, it was used as an authoritarian enforcement mechanism.

It is my great fear that if folks pushing Critical Social Justice ideology have their way, faculty in California Community Colleges will be required to profess allegiance to certain rigid ideas.

In fact, my tenure review process was subverted by ideological extremists, who used it to harass, bully and eventually fire me.

Faculty will be forced to commit to embedding these ideas into their course curriculum. They will be compelled to state their pronouns and demand that all members of their classroom do the same. They will have to view every student as a victim or an oppressor.

There is a reason why these faux-academics insist on chasing free-thinkers out of their midst – it is because they cannot defend their own ideas.

I hope that by sharing my story, I can shine a light on this issue. And since coming forward, I have been contacted by many people, who say they’ve experienced the same treatment.

Too many faculty members in California Community Colleges are afraid to question this emerging Critical Social Justice ideology. Too many are afraid to question or resist lest they be labeled a racist or worse. 

History has shown us that authoritarianism advances through a reliance on intimidation and the compliance of a majority that cowers in fear.

To the educators out there, I encourage you to keep asking questions and promoting critical thinking. There are resources out there to protect your civil liberties. And I want you to know that you are not alone.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk