Q & A: Smith College and Race Issue

Q. If there was no evidence of bias in the Smith case concerning the student profiled while eating lunch, why won’t the incident fade away?

A. The news story exposes major race and class issues at the elite institution and the simmering resentments between professors, workers,  staff, wealthy students, and students thought to be “out of place.”

In the case of Smith College, the only plans in place seem to be forced diversity training for employees, a strategy that does not work, according to Harvard University. So, issues will not fade as people and social movements demand otherwise.

Tall architectural interior design shot of white and blue ceiling, glass walls and dark wood shelving and cabinets with books from another time

Sources

Inside a Battle Over Race, Class, and Power at Smith College,  Feb. 24, 2021, updated March 3, 2021, “A student said she was racially profiled while eating in a college dorm. An investigation found no evidence of bias. But the incident will not fade away.” — Michael Powell in the New York Times

Courtney Han and Amanda Maile, August 4, 2018, 4: 04, 2018, 7 min read. Abcnews. go.com. – https://abcnews.go.com/US/college-employee-leave-alleged-racial-profiling-student/story?id=57029423

Why Doesn’t Diversity Training Work? Frank Dobbin, Alexandra Kalev, Anthropology Now, Volume 10 • Number 2 • September 2018, 10:48–55, 2018. – https://scholar.harvard.edu/dobbin/files/an2018.pdf

Click to access an2018.pdf

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