November 9th 2023.
On November 7, Boston University announced the results of their initial inquiry into Ibram X. Kendi's Center for Antiracist Research (CAR). After the university acknowledged the center would be laying off approximately half of its staff and changing its operating model in September, they launched an investigation into the organization's financial health.
Following the success of his 2019 memoir, How to Be an Antiracist, the University hired Kendi to helm the CAR in 2020. This was especially relevant after George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis Police Department that same year.
Kendi shared his feelings on the inquiry in an interview with the Associated Press. In response to the allegations of improper management of finances, he said, “Unfortunately, one of the most widely held racist ideas is the idea that Black people can’t manage money or Black people take money. It was those two allegations that were expressed and connected to me that, of course, people didn’t necessarily need evidence to substantiate their belief that that happened because apparently my skin color was enough evidence.”
The CAR has raised $50 million, with thirty of that being placed into an endowment. The Emancipator, an online newspaper, was one of the projects and research initiatives that was successfully delivered. Unfortunately, other planned initiatives—a graduate program, an undergrad minor program in antiracist studies, and a database of antiracist campaigns—were cancelled.
Kendi admitted it was difficult “trying to build a new organization from scratch during a pandemic era while responding to the urgency of the moment.” He said that if he had the opportunity to start the center again, he would have done it with just a fellowship and the current model.
Earl Lewis, a historian and former president of the Andrew Mellon Foundation, commented on the situation, saying that it was not unusual for new research outfits at universities to restructure. He suggested that a document should have been created outlining the organization's goals for five and ten years.
Kendi was ultimately vindicated, and he shared his relief on Twitter. This entire incident serves as a reminder of the importance of his work, and the Center for Antiracist Research will continue to make significant contributions to the antiracist movement.
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