Harvard University offers a webpage featuring ‘anti-racism resources’ for parents of students. The page includes books by authors who express controversial views about race and discrimination. Among these are Ibram X. Kendi’s ‘How To Be An Anti-Racist’ and Robin DiAngelo’s ‘White Fragility.’
Kendi, originally Ibram Henry Rogers, is known for his strong opinions on racial issues. In a college newspaper column from 2003, he described Europeans as aggressive by nature. In his 2019 book, he argues that discrimination supporting equity is acceptable, whereas promoting inequity is not.
The only remedy to racist discrimination is antiracist discrimination. The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.
At a 2023 film screening, Kendi criticized the concept of ‘whiteness,’ suggesting it hinders White people from connecting with humanity.
Similarly, DiAngelo’s book ‘White Fragility’ suggests that racism is primarily a White problem, created and perpetuated by White people. She argues that White people are always racist to some degree, focusing on how racism manifests rather than if it occurred.
Other books on Harvard’s list include ‘Me and White Supremacy’ by Layla Saad, ‘Raising White Kids’ by Jennifer Harvey, and ‘The New Jim Crow’ by Michelle Alexander. Harvard clarified that this resource was created over five years ago by staff and is not an official Faculty of Arts and Sciences resource.
The webpage under discussion appears in the ‘Information for Parents’ tab. It also suggests resources for teaching young children about anti-racism, including Kendi’s ‘Anti-Racist Baby’ for infants.
Harvard has faced allegations of anti-White racism within its staff. Gregory Davis, a former dean at Harvard’s Dunster House, was dismissed after anti-White and anti-police social media posts surfaced. His posts, made between 2019 and 2024, defended rioting as a legitimate form of protest.
During heightened tensions in 2020, Davis strongly criticized police, calling upon them to resign over accusations of racism. At that time, he also made controversial statements about then-President Donald Trump during his COVID-19 diagnosis.