A diversity training firm called Epoch Education promotes critical race theory concepts in school districts, training thousands of teachers.
The CEO, Dr. Nancy Dome, advocates removing “resistant” employees who disagree with ideas like white privilege.
“So what happens when you face someone who’s actually resistant, doesn’t believe White privilege or inequity exists?” Dome wrote in 2022.
“If someone continues to resist that culture or climate after multiple interruptions, then you know they do not belong,” Dome added.
Her published work and videos describe CRT tenets like racist hierarchical structures influencing all domains.
Training exercises label white participants as oppressors based on race.
“If you continue showing up compassionately to conversations but the other person refuses to give as much as they get, then sometimes that relationship is simply not a worthwhile use of your energy. Divorce can be a form of repair if you’ve made every attempt but simply cannot find a way for the relationship to move forward. If a team member isn’t willing to adjust … then the repair may be to remove them from the team or organization,” she said.
“I can, if I wish, arrange to be in the company of people with my race most of the time” and “I can be sure that my children will be given curricular materials that testify to the existence of their race,” the prompts read.
“Once the scores are calculated, participants line up in the room according to their numbers, creating a powerful representation of the color line. It’s called the color line because almost without exception, the darkest people in the room will be closest to zero,” Dome said.
“Many, perhaps most, of our White students in the U.S. think that racism doesn’t affect them because they are not people of color, they do not see ‘Whiteness’ as a racial identity,” the article read.
A teacher subject to this training called the messaging “insane.”
Critics argue it divides people and undermines meritocracy.
“I got to a point where I’m like, ‘this is insane. I’m not taking any more of these trainings,’” Elk Grove Unified School District teacher Isaac Newman said. “I actually asked the district, ‘What happens if I don’t take the trainings?’ and they refused to tell me. So they actually won’t tell me the consequences, just that they’re mandated.”
“What’s shocking is in these DEI trainings, they actually call out colorblindness and meritocracy,” Newman said. “And of course, if you’re dedicated to that, well, then you’re going to have division, and you’re going to have mediocrity.”
However, Dome asserts equality is not the goal – the aim is equity by giving people different advantages or resources based on their group identity.
Dome said equality is “one of those lofty ideals we’ve been hearing about since elementary school.” She claimed to prefer equity, “the idea that everyone should get what they need, even if that’s different from what someone else gets.”
“If you feel like an equitable system will create lack for you, remember that we are all connected. If you understand that my success is your success, and vice versa, you are much more likely to give me what I need,” she said.
“Look, if you live in my community and you’re starving, there’s a good chance that one day you’re going to end up stealing from me (or someone else in the community) just to survive. On the other hand, if I have food and everything else I need, and I make sure you have everything you need, too, then I never have to worry about you coming in and harming me or stealing from me. Ultimately, the better off you are, and the better off I am, the better off we all are,” she wrote.
“In our Implicit Bias courses, we support participants in understanding that we are all always scanning our environments to see if we are safe and if we belong,” she said. “Our ability to pause and recognize the reactions we have to the people and situations around us, points us in the direction of our specific anti-bias work and the building of our Equity Intelligence.”
This approach has sparked controversy over whether it discriminates against some groups and undermines principles of fairness and equal treatment.
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