Kendi’s Ivory Tower Crumbles

Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research is shaking things up

A university think tank led by “antiracism” guru Ibram X. Kendi is making significant changes, causing quite a stir in ​the process.

The Boston‍ University Center for Antiracist Research is letting go of between 15 and ‌20 employees, as Semafor reported on Thursday.‍ Kendi established the center in June 2020 during the height of the movement to defund the police following the death of George Floyd. As of ⁣August,⁤ the center⁣ had⁢ a staff of ‍45, according to a now-deleted page on their website reviewed ‍by the Washington Free Beacon.

Kendi has built a ‍successful career teaching people about⁢ “antiracism,” which he⁤ defines as “the practice of actively identifying and opposing racism.” In 2021, he was awarded a $625,000 MacArthur “Genius” grant and charges $20,000⁢ for speaking engagements. His books, Antiracist‍ Baby and How ‌to Be Antiracist, have even made it onto the New York Times ‌ best-seller list. Kendi has‌ been vocal about his belief that the United‍ States⁣ is ‌inherently⁣ racist,⁣ claiming that police are inherently harmful and‍ advocating for a constitutional amendment ⁣to ban⁤ racial inequity and racist ideas from ⁢public officials.

The reasons‌ behind the staff cuts at Kendi’s center are not immediately clear, but there are​ indications that both the ⁣American public and liberal donors may be losing ⁣interest in his cause. According to a Pew Research poll, support for​ the Black Lives Matter movement has decreased ​from 67 percent in June 2020 to⁢ 51 ⁣percent in⁤ April 2023. Activist groups focused on ⁤racial issues have also ‍experienced significant drops in revenue since their peak in 2020. The Black Lives Matter ‍Foundation’s revenues​ dropped by‌ 88 percent in 2021, and the charity of Black Lives Matter activist‌ Shaun King ‍fell by over 60 percent.

Other prominent left-wing advocacy groups have recently announced large-scale layoffs. In June, ⁢the progressive megadonor George Soros’s Open Society Foundations revealed⁣ plans to cut up to 40 percent of its workforce.⁤ This organization‌ has donated ⁣approximately $140,000 to Kendi’s center. Additionally, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, backed by Mark Zuckerberg, which has donated $1.4 million to ​antiracism groups, announced that it will be letting ‍go of around 50 employees this year.