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Earlier this month, the university said an initial inquiry found no issues with how the center managed its finances. Despite the hubbub, essentially none of the center's funders have raised public concerns about its work. But tell us how you’re going to puzzle through.”The sudden termination of the center’s research projects prompted some within the movement for racial justice to see good reason to criticize Kendi’s leadership. Kendi agreed many funders were new to racial justice philanthropy in 2020, but said they didn’t usually give to his center. Kendi said most of the center's funders already supported antiracist community organizations.

Persons: Kendi, Grantmakers, it's, Earl Lewis, Andrew W, “, “ missteps, “ There’s, ”, Lewis, It's, Jack Dorsey, Chera Reid, ” Reid, William, Larry Kramer, Reid, Kendi’s, Jenn M, Jackson, ” Jackson Organizations: Boston University, BU Center, Mellon Foundation, University of Michigan Center for Social Solutions, Associated Press, Rockefeller Foundation, ESPN, Netflix, Unity Summit, Flora Hewlett Foundation, Observers, Syracuse University, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Los Angeles, U.S

Boston University said Tuesday that its initial inquiry into the antiracist research center run by best-selling author and academic Ibram X. Kendi found no issues with how it managed its finances. The university launched the inquiry into the financials of the BU Center for Antiracist Research, or CAR, in September, after acknowledging the organization was laying off about half of its staff and changing its operating model. The center has raised more than $50 million, with $30 million of that put into an endowment, the university said. The university's inquiry will continue, now focusing on the center's management of grants from outside funders, including the extent to which it complied with required reporting. The university's inquiry and finding announced Tuesday aimed to address those questions, though the university declined a request to share the audit.

Persons: Kendi, Gary Nicksa, ”, George Floyd, ” Kendi, Korn, “ I’ve, Earl Lewis, Andrew W, Lewis, “, ’ ” Lewis Organizations: Boston University, BU Center, Antiracist Research, Associated Press, BU, Mellon Foundation, University of Michigan Center for Social Solutions, Associated, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Minneapolis, “

☆ How Ibram X. Kendi Broke Boston University
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( David Decosimo | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

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Persons: Dow Jones Organizations: boston

☆ Opinion | Ibram X. Kendi and the Problem of Celebrity Fund-Raising
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The turmoil at Ibram X. Kendi’s Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, which recently laid off more than half its staff, has been a schadenfreude bonanza for the right. Three years later, there are considerable questions about what’s been accomplished with all that money. Conservatives who see Kendi as the living embodiment of the style of social justice activism they deride as “wokeness” are, naturally, gleeful. It’s almost hard to blame right-wingers for their delight; Kendi’s mistakes played right into their hands. It exemplifies the lamentable tendency among left-leaning donors to chase fads and celebrities rather than build sustainable institutions.

Persons: George Floyd, what’s, Jeffrey Blehar, ” Organizations: Kendi’s, Antiracist Research, Boston University, National, Washington Examiner Locations: antiracism

☆ An Ambitious Antiracism Center Scales Back Amid a Funding Slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Stephanie Saul | More About Stephanie Saul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The reorganization is partly a sign of the times. Until the university established the center, the 41-year-old Mr. Kendi had never run an organization anywhere near its size. On Wednesday, Boston University announced it was conducting an inquiry into complaints from staff members, which include questions about the center’s management culture and the faculty and staff’s experience with it, as well as its grant management practices. The university said Friday that the center has raised nearly $55 million and its endowment contains about $30 million, with an additional $17.5 million held in reserves. The bulk of the donations came from pledges made during the first year, and the university reported $5.4 million in cash and pledge payments in the most recent fiscal year.

Persons: Floyd’s, Kendi, America — Organizations: ESPN, Boston University Locations: America

☆ Opinion | Is ‘Peak Woke’ Behind Us or Ahead?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-16 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The attempts to use “woke capital” to effect progressive change have met strong resistance, and corporations are losing enthusiasm for a vanguard role. Meanwhile, there is more intellectual and political energy in anti-wokeness now, evident not just in backlash in red states but in this autumn’s roster of new books, which includes critiques of social justice ideology from the socialist left, the center left and the right. The Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action has created new legal roadblocks for Kendi-style progressivism. The mood in elite journalism is less ideologically committed and more skeptical and critical. These exemplify a different aftermath for “peak woke” — not the ideology’s retreat, but its consolidation and entrenchment.

Persons: Trump, Jack Dorsey, —, ”, “, Michael Powell’s, ” — Organizations: Antiracist Research, Boston University

☆ Ibram X. Kendi, anti-racism activist, wasn't surprised when Vivek Ramaswamy compared him to a KKK grand wizard: 'He's doing his job' as a GOP candidate of color
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vivek Ramaswamy recently compared anti-racism activist and author Ibram X. Kendi to a KKK Grand Wizard. The comments are part of a typical playbook for GOP candidates of color, Kendi told Insider. Kendi said Ramaswamy may not even believe what he says when he makes inflammatory comments. Kendi said comments like that suggest that Ramaswamy isn't a serious candidate for president, saying he is "auditioning to be Donald Trump's VP." Ramaswamy told Fox News that Trump was the "best president of the 21st century."

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ibram, Kendi, Ramaswamy, wasn't, we're, Ayanna Pressley, Pressley, I've, Donald Trump's, Trump Organizations: Service, Republican, Klux Klan, Congressional, Klan, GOP, Trump, Fox News, Wizards Locations: Wall, Silicon, America, Jacksonville , Florida

☆ Rep. Ayanna Pressley says GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy isn't 'occupying any real estate in my mind' after he compared her to 'modern grand wizards' of the KKK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ayanna Pressley on Sunday hit back at Vivek Ramaswamy after he compared her to a KKK grand wizard. In making his comments last week, Ramaswamy argued that Pressley and Kendi didn't embrace diversity of opinion among members of minority groups. Al Sharpton, Pressley firmly rejected Ramaswamy's remarks, calling his words "dangerous." … We don't need any more brown faces that don't want to be a brown voice," Pressley said during the event. "We don't need any more Black faces that don't want to be a Black voice."

Persons: Ayanna Pressley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Ibram, Ramaswamy —, United States —, Pressley, Kendi, Al Sharpton, Ramaswamy's, Sharpton, brutalized, Ali Velshi Organizations: Service, Republican, Democratic Rep, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Capitol, Boston City Council, Representatives, Ku Klux, MSNBC Locations: Iowa, Wall, Silicon, Ayanna Pressley of, India, United States, Charlottesville, Virginia

☆ Vivek Ramaswamy doubles down on comparing US Rep. Ayanna Pressley to 'modern grand wizard' of the KKK
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy refused to back down from a rather surprising opinion. Ramaswamy compared Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley and author Ibram X. Kendi to KKK grand wizards. "But can you have an intellectually honest conversation when you accuse her of being a grand wizard of the KKK?" "These are the words of the modern grand wizards of the modern KKK," Ramaswamy said at the Iowa campaign stop, NBC reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe controversial businessman and presidential candidate has decried "woke" culture, making it a center point of his campaign.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Ayanna Pressley, Ibram, Kendi, Pressley, Dana Bash, Ayanna, week's Organizations: Democratic, Service, Massachusetts Democratic, NBC, Politico Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ibram, Iowa, Congress

☆ Supreme Court's affirmative action decision sets 'race-neutral' standard in college admission decisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —When the Supreme Court cut affirmative action out of college admissions programs Thursday, it did not outlaw the goal of achieving diversity, but it set a new “race-neutral” standard for considering applicants. Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote his own concurring opinion, uses the term “race neutral” repeatedly, offering it as an antidote to affirmative action. For more on this view, read this piece in The Atlantic by scholars Uma Jayakumar and Ibram Kendi: “‘Race Neutral’ Is the New ‘Separate but Equal.’”What have race-neutral admissions policies accomplished? They can, presumably, still utilize affirmative action even though they are the higher learning institutions over which the federal government has the most control. Multiple corporations – from Apple to IKEA – asked the Supreme Court to allow affirmative action to continue so that their potential workforce is more diverse.

Persons: John Roberts, Roberts, they’ve, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, ”, Uma Jayakumar, Laura Coates, CNN’s Nicquel Terry Ellis, Zack Mabel, Terry Ellis, CNN’s Leah Asmelash, Ronald Brownstein Organizations: CNN, Public, Institute of California, University of California’s, UC, UC enrollees, UC Berkeley, Harvard University, Georgetown University Center, Education, Workforce, Georgetown’s Center for Education, IKEA –, Republican Locations: California, Michigan, Thomas, California In California, enrollees, UC enrollees, American, America, Apple

☆ Pro-DeSantis midterm mailer did more than mock LGBTQ communities
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Nicholas Mitchell | Nicholas Mitchell Is An Assistant Professor Of Curriculum Studies At The University Of Kansas. He Is A Curriculum Theorist Whose Scholarship Focuses On The Intersection Of Education Theory | Policy | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

It and other publications rightly called it out for mocking the LGBTQ community. Republicans are belittling knowledge that they find threatening to the status quo that gives the lives of social conservatives meaning. To play on the words of Ben Shapiro, I call this movement the “feelings over facts” orientation, and it has been positioned as a bulwark against indoctrination by disciplines that focus on race, gender and art. This is the not-so-subtle implication of the mailer supporting DeSantis. For everyone who doesn’t believe gender studies is threatening, the student in the photo the mailer used is just a new nonbinary college graduate.

☆ Netflix made huge bets on animation, hiring top talent, but insiders say the streamer neglected marketing and didn't deliver what kids want: 'Where are the farts?'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The streamer didn't market its kids content enough and didn't pay attention to what children like, insiders said. Netflix hasn't been alone in dialing back on kids animation. "They had these grand plans to make a ton of animation and were going to throw a lot of money at it," said a former Netflix animation exec. But they didn't understand kids and they didn't understand animation," said a separate high-level animation programming executive. Animated series offshoot "The Boss Baby: Back in Business" is technically a Netflix original as it premiered on the streamer.

☆ Read Netflix's striking memo to staff about layoffs in its animation studio that blames the company's own 'misalignment and a lack of clear decision-making'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Elaine Low | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Netflix told its workforce on Wednesday morning that it is laying off 2% of its animation studio, or 30 animation staffers. Netflix shuffled animation leadership earlier this year, appointing Karen Toliver as VP of animation film content and Traci Balthazor as VP of animation film production, while Netflix's kids and family VP Melissa Cobb shifted to a producing role. According to a source close to the matter, the layoffs are part of a restructuring to streamline the animation film unit under Balthazor. Animation series production support teams will remain within Netflix. In the Head of Animation Film Production role, I (Traci) will continue working in close partnership with Karen Toliver, Head of Animation Film Content, to set the vision and strategy of the studio.

☆ Glassdoor's chief people officer made herself vulnerable to show her staff the importance of mental health. Now she's championing diverse and inclusive leadership.
▼ + stars: | 2021-05-13 | by ( Shana Lebowitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Cortez wrote publicly about her own struggles to show staff the importance of mental wellness. She encouraged Glassdoor to publish its first Diversity & Inclusion Transparency report in 2020. At Glassdoor, Cortez told Insider, the pandemic put even greater pressure on her and her team to display strong leadership. Cortez shaped Glassdoor's remote-work policy based on employee feedbackCortez joined Glassdoor, which now employs more than 1,000 people, in August 2019. On March 9, 2020, Cortez led Glassdoor in instituting a remote-work policy and gathering employee feedback on how the shift was working out.

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