Portland Community College Creates Whiteness History Month

Portland Community College's new program, Whiteness History Month: Context, Consequences and Change, has been heavily criticized mainly by conservatives since it was announced, forcing the school's interim president, Sylvia Kelley, to post a statement defending it.

In the statement uploaded on Wednesday, Kelley explained that the program's goal is to discuss the "master narrative of race."

The statement says:

"The Project seeks to challenge the master narrative of race and racism through an exploration of the social of whiteness. Challenging the master narrative of traditional curriculum is a strategy within higher education that promotes multicultural education and equity. ... 

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."

People who were critical of this program accused the school of promoting shame onto white people. The American Conservative stated that the program should be called "white hatey month."

The program was stared by the college's Diversity Council, which described the month-long event as a "bold adventure" designed to analyze "race and racism through an exploration of the construction of whiteness, its origins and heritage."

The college added that the project "seeks to inspire innovative and practical solutions to community issues and social problems that stem from racism."

The program is scheduled to start in April.