A planned “Womxn of Color” retreat at Iowa State University is closed to white students and has the backing of the professors.
The upcoming “Womxn of Colour” retreat is promoted as “a one-day event accessible to all women of color students on campus” and is scheduled for April.
According to Bria Felix, president of the Womxn of Colour network, “This retreat is really significant to our executive board because it is usually arranged by a complete faculty team,” indicating that faculty members are in favor of the racially exclusive gathering.
“The WOCN was founded in 2011 to support the womxn students of color at Iowa State,” according to a university website.
The website further explains:
“The Margaret Sloss Facility for Women and Gender Equality, in collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, the WOCN student group, as well as other campus supporters, student groups, and depts., supports the Womxn of Colour Network Retreat as one of its signature programs.”
“Women of color teachers, students, employees, and post-docs are welcome to attend network, fellowship, and learn about chances to get engaged with the 2023 Women of Color Retreat.” In addition to the retreat, the WOCN conducted a “WOC Meet & Greet” last semester.
Recent occurrences at many institutions have excluded white students from participation. For instance, the Multicultural Center at the University of Minnesota offered exercise programs for “students of color,” allowing them to “take up space in previously known to be largely white areas.” One of these occasions is known as “BIPOC Community Climb Day.”
A symposium on education held at Michigan State University featured racial affinity groups that kept “white folx” and “people of color” apart.
But racial exclusion of this kind doesn’t just occur in higher education. A former diversity director at Maryvale Prep, an all-girls Catholic school in Maryland, declared that “BIPOC pupils” needed to be shielded from the “white gaze,” according to a Breitbart News investigation. “BIPOC places are sacred,” she emphasized.
