A lawsuit filed by Missouri’s attorney general uncovered a pro-Critical Race Theory program at the taxpayer-funded Missouri State University. The public university, located in Springfield, has a series of diversity and inclusion programs, one of which is the Facing Racism Institute.
The Institute came under fire when the attorney general, Eric Schmitt, claimed that Springfield Public Schools district used trainings from the Facing Racism Institute to indoctrinate its teachers and staff with Critical Race Theory ideology. The alleged trainings made multiple controversial claims, such as claiming the phrase “All lives matter” is an example of “covert white supremacy.”
The website of the Facing Racism Institute claimed that it is “the area’s leading program for uncovering racism and understanding its impact on individuals and the workplace.” It adds that “more than 600 people have attended” the institute and asserted that the institute “challenges participants of all backgrounds to be part of an equally powerful dialogue … [and] we provide the safe space and neutral guidance needed to help that dialogue emerge.” The trainings push participants to “engage in and build a shared understanding of racism together.”
The costs of trainings are $350 for university employees and $400 for “community members” (i.e. the public).
Among its list of recommended readings, there are multiple left-wing, pro-Critical Race Theory books on the list. Robin DiAngelo’s “White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for People to Talk About Racism,” is at the top of the list, in addition to Critical Race Theory supporter Ta-Nehisi Coates’s book, “Between the World and Me.”
The website did not specify whether the program was funded by federal government grants, state taxpayers, or private donations.
In short, the Facing Racism Institute appears to be a publicly-funded institute that promotes Critical Race Theory in the name of diversity and inclusion. Missouri taxpayers should demand accountability from Missouri State University and find out how this program fits into the university’s mission to educate Missourians and prepare them for the workforce.
