'equality' in the academic world isn't what it seems;

The director of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at a California college said she was “harassed and bullied” out of her job because she wanted to consider the perspectives of people from all races equally. 

Dr. Tabia Lee, who is black, told The New York Post that faculty at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, labeled her a “white supremacist” after she pushed to “create safe spaces for everyone.” Lee said that during her review for tenure, she was denied and will be out of a job on June 15. 

“Some people wanted me to create spaces that were just safe for them, and that’s not my mission as an educator,” Lee said. “That’s not what I’m here to do.”

Lee worked for years as a middle school teacher and adjunct professor before she landed the job as the DEI director at De Anza in 2021. In that position, one she described as a “dream come true,” Lee focused on designing workshops to promote inclusion, the Post reported. But after starting at De Anza, Lee said she was subject to “daily, endless harassment right from the start.” 

On one occasion, Lee said she questioned why school communications capitalized “Black” but not “white.” She pointed to recommendations from the National Association of Black Journalists, which advises that all racial groups should be capitalized. 

“For that, I was accused of being a white supremacist,” she said. “These constant accusations of calling people racist or calling them a white supremacists or saying that they’re aligned with right wingers — that’s such ridiculousness. It’s very damaging.”..........more........