Following the month of February, the nation’s appointed Black History Month, the Portland Community College’s Cascade Campus will usher in a ‘Whiteness History Month’ in April this year.
Despite the name, the event isn’t in celebration of ‘whiteness’ but rather addressing how white supremacy has been “institutionalized, imposed, and internalized” on campus.
Portland Community College’s Diversity Council, behind the creation of this event, are calling it a “bold adventure” that examines “race and racism through an exploration of the construction of whiteness, its origins and heritage.”
“Whiteness History Month: Context, Consequences, and Change is a multidisciplinary, district-wide, educational project examining race and racism through an exploration of the construction of whiteness, its origins, and heritage,” is what reads on PCC’s website. “Scheduled for the month of April 2016, the project seeks to inspire innovative and practical solutions to community issues and social problems that stem from racism.”
The group has stated the term ‘whiteness’ “does not simply refer to skin color, but an ideology based on beliefs, values, behaviors, habits and attitudes, which result in the unequal distribution of power and privilege based on skin color.”
While planning is still taking place, various objectives have been established, bringing better understanding to the purpose of Whiteness History Month.
These include:
- What is whiteness and how is it socially constructed?
- In what ways does whiteness emerge from a legacy of imperialism, conquest, colonialism and the American enterprise?
- Who benefits from the consequences of whiteness? Who loses from whiteness? How?
- What are alternatives to the culture of white supremacy?
- What are approaches and strategies to dismantling whiteness?
Critics have called out the group, claiming they are merely shaming whiteness. Right Wing News states the purpose “is not to acknowledge the disproportionate level of accomplishment among whites, but to shame us for it.”
The school’s interim President Sylvia Kelley, however, has shown her support for the project in recently released statement.
“We view this project as part of a larger national conversation around race and social justice on America’s college campuses. As Oregon’s largest post-secondary educational institution, it is our responsibility to help continue this courageous conversation. We understand that this will be challenging and uncomfortable work, yet we have made a commitment in our strategic plan to take intentional action to advance diversity, equity and inclusion –for all we serve.”
Organizers hope that this will improve the campus environment for 90,000 strong and 68 percent white student body.
