The University of South Carolina is being criticized by a student organization after a “White Student Accountability Group” meeting was reportedly hosted at the school.
An email was allegedly sent to the university’s College of Social Work students, inviting them to attend the “White Student Accountability Group” meeting on April 26, according to Turning Point USA.
In the event description for the meeting, it said participants would learn about the “responsibility to dismantle racism in our practice and everyday lives”.
Dylan B., TPUSA chapter president at the university, said “It’s just very sad and disappointing that the university would organize an event that promotes legitimately racist ideas”.
The description listed three reasons why the event was important, starting with “To help social work students recognize both their contribution to and responsibility to dismantle racism in our practice and everyday lives”.
The next were “To encourage students to use their voice, power, and privilege to enact change in their classrooms, community, and practice,” and “To support students in developing skills to host similar groups among peers or colleagues to expand the community dedicated to racial equity and justice”.
Fox News Digital reported that a spokesperson for the University of South Carolina said the meeting was part of a student’s project and not sponsored by the school.
“The Accountability Group was part of a student’s project and was not part of an officially sponsored College of Social Work activity. The meeting was open to everyone and was strictly voluntarily,” they said.
Other universities across the country have been criticized for holding “White Accountability Groups”.
Loyola University Maryland claims their meetings are “a brave space to reflect, discuss, learn, grow, and most importantly, keep ourselves and our campus accountable as we continue to work towards dismantling white supremacy in all the spaces that it lives, even (and especially) when that space is inside of us”.
At the University of North Texas, the “White Accountability Group” aims to “promote allyship, accompliceship, and anti-racism among white employees for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) at UNT”.