Education

Professor Says Obama Presidency Only Increased Racism

REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Fairfield University communications professor Audra Nuru says the presidency of Barack Obama only fueled racism in America.

Nuru told the annual diversity and equity conference of the Association of Jesuit Colleges this month that Obama made racist attacks more possible because he was black and because he was subject to criticism, The College Fix reports.

“I’m not saying by any means that Barack Obama incited racism. I’m saying that him being in office, people who were already racist got a platform to address this publicly and reify it,” Nuru said.

Nuru cites the birthers who insisted Obama was born in Kenya, not Hawaii, as well as the references to Obama’s middle name of Hussein as evidence of this racist “platform.” She also mentioned the use of the term “halfrican-American” by conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh as another reason “that explicitly racist messages have steadily increased since 2010.”

Nuru also found a way to blame Presdient Donald Trump for this alleged racist trend, suggesting that he should have taken ownership of supposed hate crimes committed in his name and the language of his campaign.

“With this privilege of a platform should come the responsibility of equitable and just discourses. Unfortunately, that’s not the case,” she said.

Nuru also played the privilege card, telling her audience that she plays a game called “privilege bingo” with her communications classes. Various “privileges” are read out to the students who indicate on their score card, if it applies to them. The “super privileged” yell “bingo” first.

In an apparent departure from white privilege dogma, Nuru argues that you can be both privileged and oppressed.

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