RALEIGH — According to an article by the James G. Martin Center, East Carolina University’s 2022-23 faculty convocation took an ideological turn, featuring administrators who “dedicated the majority of their time to gushing over virtue-signaling and pushing a woke narrative.”
“To begin with, ECU chancellor Philip Rogers touted ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) policies as being in ‘alignment with the school’s mission, vision, and values.’ Other speakers would go on to affirm support for the LGBTQ community and the teaching of Critical Race Theory,” according to the James. G. Martin Center’s article.
The East Carolina University (ECU) convocation caught the attention of Our America, a national organization that says it is dedicated to representing the patriotic majority of Americans and promoting core American values like equality and freedom.
Following the convocation, Our America’s National Directors Gabriel Nadales and Barrington Martin II sent a letter to ECU Chancellor Dr. Phillip Rogers saying the convocation “consisted of only 10 minutes of discussion on school governance, and much more on woke nonsense, including the praise of Critical Race Theory.”
The letter states there are legal and ethical issues with CRT, saying “CRT is everything the Civil Rights movement fought against.
“But what is at stake here is more than just following the law. Students who attend your university, as well as the parents who send them there, expect you will create a positive learning environment in which the uniqueness of each individual is respected,” Nadales and Martin wrote. “CRT fails to build such an environment because of its obsession with race. Instead, by advocating for more divisive and discriminatory practices, CRT “achieves” the exact opposite — it creates a more racially charged environment and, in the process, drags America back more than half a century.”
Near the closing of the letter, Nadales and Martin wrote, “If ECU wants to create a welcoming environment for all students, ECU should reject CRT and embrace students for their unique character and intellectual rigor, not their skin color.”
Nadales and Martin’s letter also invited Rogers to respond and have a conversation with them, however, Our America says that they have not heard from Rogers or ECU.
“It is truly disheartening that Dr. Philip Rogers refused to respond to our letter which sought to open a dialogue on how to best create a welcoming environment for ECU’s students,” Nadales and Martin said in an email statement to North State Journal. “But what’s worse, is that East Carolina University is not the only school to embrace Critical Race Theory.
“Just take a look at what happened at Texas A&M in which the school adopted hiring practices that discriminate against Asian and white applicants. ECU’s refusal to respond is just part of a larger trend in higher education that seeks to adopt the discriminatory practices of Critical Race Theory while refusing to address legitimate criticisms from the public.”
North State Journal reached out to Rogers and ECU but a response has not yet been received.
