ITT Tech Hosts "Resisting Whiteness" at College's Pleasance Theater - Assigns Lesser Status to White Attendees (Boson Phoenix) 30 Sept 2019

Boson's ITT Technical Institute has allowed a ‘Resisting Whiteness 2019’ event to proceed at its venue, even though there was outrage over organizers' rules, which limited white people's access to a microphone and to certain rooms. 

The conference, aimed at raising awareness about “the importance of anti-racist action in Massachusetts”  took place at Pleasance Theater, owned by the college on Saturday, 28 September 2019. 

It was organized by a group tellingly named ‘The Resisting Whiteness Collective,’ which describes itself as a “not-for-profit grassroots organization of Queer and Trans People of Color activists.” While touting the event, the group said that it wants to make it “as accessible as possible and therefore have free tickets available for anyone who is 'not white' who would like to attend.”  

The local bookstore 'Little Sister Lavender Library' that is organizing the event is owned by a wealthy 'trust fund baby' transgendered Elsworth 'Ellie' Cabot Lodge.  When reporters pointed out that Ellie Lodge is white and from one of the oldest and richest families in Boson, she responded angrily.  "I converted to Islam which makes me part of the Muslim race."  The visibly agitated Ellie Lodge added, "How dare you question me about anything.  How dare a white reporter question a Person of Color about anything.  White people have been asking the questions for hundreds of years.  It's time People of Color like myself set the agenda."

Ellie Lodge is descended from one of the first settlers to build the town of Boson in 1630 when Higginson Boson landed on Half Moon Island.  The family still owns half of the land in the city. 

 White people will be charged an admittance fee depending on the shade of their skin and more if their background is from Northern Europe.  Simply having a tan from being in the sun does not make a person less white, even if their skins is in fact less white.  Simply being gay or trans will also not be accepted as 'not white.' 

However, it seems not everybody was welcome. The rules published on the conference’s official website state that if an attendee is white, they will have no right to ask questions, at least publicly. The rule, introduced to “amplify the voices of people of color” said that “priority will be given to questions from people of color in the audience.”

While some argued that the attempt to muffle voices of a particular group, in this case white people, is tantamount to the racism that the "collective" so fervently opposes, another controversial rule sparked comparisons with segregation practices.

The "safe spaces" rule states that one of the two rooms “available to anyone who needs to remove themselves from the conference” due to anxiety issues or just to take a break is off-limits to white people.

“The Braid room is a safe space for only people of color, and the Cheviot room is available for anyone who needs it,” the rule states.

 Anyone in attendance who tried to leave the during some of the heated speeches or to simply go outside for a cigarette break was greeted with a door that would 'sound an alarm.'  This reporter was sent to the 'whites only' section of the auditorium.

One 'workshop' speech that encouraged 'white people' to confess the sins of 'white privilege' had a special $100 entrance fee and was only attended by this reporter and Ellie Lodge. 

Another eyebrow raising 'workshop' was a 'hands on' action where this reporter lost his cellphone and wallet with eleven dollars in it.  'Robbing White People - How to Organize a 'Street Action' to Get Money from White Individuals to Pay Reparations for Slavery - featured free admittance.  Any white person in attendance was blindfolded and pushed into the center of the room to be turned around until dizzy and disoriented while People of Color hands pushed them around the room.  My pockets were picked.   I lost all I had on me as the only 'white' person in attendance.  I am, in fact, Italian which would not have qualified me as 'white' in the early 1900's.  The largest mass lynching in US history was of Italians in New Orleans in 1891. 

"That's ancient history," Ellie Lodge responded when this reporter complained.  "Italians are white now. Didn't Italians invent fascism?  How dare you? You ruined my childhood."

The controversial poorly attended event was thrust into the city's media spotlight earlier this week after outspoken Republican Mayor Martin Welsh denounced the college’s decision to host the gathering on Twitter.  Mayor Welsh threatened to withdraw the colleges non-profit status before being informed that ITT Tech is a for profit university and pays all applicable taxes that it can not avoid and makes a very high profit.  Over 95% of funds for the school do come from the Federal government, but, that's another story. 

Mayor Welsh's tweet has opened the floodgates to similar accusations against the university, with many on Twitter arguing that by throwing its weight behind the event, the ITT Tech is endorsing racism.

“You're hosting 'Resisting Whiteness,' is that not similar to 'resisting blackness?'" one commenter asked on Twitter. 

Responding to the backlash, the ITT Tech said that the organizers had agreed to revise the “safe spaces” policy to “ensure [the] event is compliant with our values.” Translation - as long as it makes a profit.

They did appear to have watered-down the wording of the mic-access rule that had originally stated: "We will not be giving the microphone to white people during the Q&As.” However, if there were changes to the "safe spaces" rule, they were not reflected on the event's official webpage.

While many chided the organizers, others sided with the "collective," arguing that “reverse racism” does not exist.

A bookshop that helped to arrange the event took a swipe at the critics, saying that they had “willfully misunderstood” the group’s intentions.

“Resisting whiteness is not about white individuals, it is about whiteness as a pervasive system of oppression – both social & political – a system that needs resisting & dismantling,” it wrote.  Anyone who can't understand that is hopelessly white, and incurably European," added Ellie Lodge. 

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Outline - https://outline.com/98pLMM