Conference Apologizes for White Professor’s ‘Very Public Racism’

A conference for women historians has apologized and condemned “the racist, homophobic, and Islamophobic comments” made by a senior scholar in a speech last week that roiled the academics in attendance, leading many to walk out of the event in disgust.

In a statement Wednesday, the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians denounced Dr. Lois Banner’s “very public racism” onstage Friday at the 50th anniversary of “Big Berks,” a triennial gathering which Banner helped found. It apologized “sincerely for the harm experienced” by those in the room.

Banner, who was named in the statement, doubled down after saying that she didn’t feel as though her whiteness had benefited her in her career, a witness in the audience told The Daily Beast on Sunday night.

Read more at The Daily Beast.