‘White people, you are the problem’: AT&T implements rigorous and disturbing ‘reeducation program’

AT&T is reportedly instructing its white employees to read an article that claims they are racist and confess their “white privilege” as part of a racial reeducation program or they will get poor performance reviews.

Following the death of George Floyd in 2020, AT&T reportedly instituted an internal program entitled “Listen Understand Act.” Employees are told to acknowledge their “systemic racism” during the program.

John Stankey, who is the CEO of AT&T, sent an email to the company’s 230,000 employees in April. Journalist Christopher Rufo obtained a cache of documents related to that email and published them on his website in an ongoing investigation of Critical Race Theory being pushed in American corporations. AT&T’s program is allegedly based on the core principles of CRT.

“As individuals, we can make a difference by doing our part to advance racial equity and justice for all,” Stankey wrote. “If you are looking for tools to better educate and inform yourself on racial equality, resources are available at Listen. Understand. Act. We also encourage you to actively participate in our recently launched Equality First learning experience, a new initiative to increase awareness and action around our value to Stand for Equality.”

Not all employees are being forced to partake in the program. Managers, however, are now being assessed annually on so-called diversity issues. They are pressured to take part in discussion groups, book clubs, mentorship programs, and race reeducation exercises, according to Rufo’s unnamed source.

According to that source, who is referred to as a senior employee by Rofu, employees are asked to sign a loyalty pledge to “keep pushing for change.” They are urged to engage in “reading more about systemic racism” and “challenging others” concerning language that is “hateful.” They are also reportedly told that “If you don’t do it, you’re a racist.”

According to the source, one of the recommended reading pieces is a May 31, 2020 article published in the Chicago Tribune by columnist Dahleen Glanton, that is entitled: “White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror.”

The article asserts that the United States is a “racist society” and is very blunt about it. “White people, you are the problem. Regardless of how much you say you detest racism, you are the sole reason it has flourished for centuries,” she states.

Glanton posits that “American racism is a uniquely white trait” and that “Black people cannot be racist.” White women, she contends, “have been telling lies on black men since they were first brought to America in chains,” and, in conjunction with their white male counterparts, “enjoy the opportunities and privileges that white supremacy affords [them].”

Other books recommended on the subject of white fragility include, “Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism,” by Robin DiAngelo, and “White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White,” by Daniel Hill.

The “Act” part of the program encourages AT&T employees to participate in a “21-Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge.” It covers concepts such as “whiteness,” “white privilege,” and “white supremacy.” Those taking part in the training are forced to commit to “do one action [per day for 21 days] to further [their] understanding of power, privilege, supremacy, oppression, and equity.”

The challenge starts off with a series of lessons that confront “whiteness,” which contend that “white supremacy [is] baked into our country’s foundation,” that “whiteness is one of the biggest and most long-running scams ever perpetrated,” and that the “weaponization of whiteness” promotes a “constant barrage of harm” for minorities.

“Notice your biases and judgments as they arise. These are gold for you to excavate your subconscious!” participants are told.

“Prepare yourself to interrupt racial jokes. Click HERE for some advice about how,” employees are instructed.

“We think understanding white privilege is a powerful lens into the complexities of doing social justice work, so we’ve focused our resources on that specific issue,” the authors of the program state.

The Washington Post reported on August 23 that AT&T has made lobbying for police reform part of some of their employees’ job descriptions.

“Our financial contributions to support police reform is but a slice of the pie,” AT&T’s Western region president, Ken McNeely, said after the Washington Post reported that AT&T donated $21.5 million to causes advocating racial justice.

“We actually took a more direct route: Filing testimony or a letter of support in our name — using our brand — is in many instances more impactful than giving money to a third party,” he contended.

AT&T is definitely going to have a PR problem after these revelations:

DONATE TO BIZPAC REVIEW

Please help us! If you are fed up with letting radical big tech execs, phony fact-checkers, tyrannical liberals and a lying mainstream media have unprecedented power over your news please consider making a donation to BPR to help us fight them. Now is the time. Truth has never been more critical!

Success! Thank you for donating. Please share BPR content to help combat the lies.

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

BPR INSIDER COMMENTS

Scroll down for non-member comments or join our insider conversations by becoming a member. We'd love to have you!

Latest Articles