Researchers from the University of Minnesota are sounding the alarm about what they term a “whiteness pandemic,” which they believe is a driving force behind racism. This declaration comes from the esteemed university’s Institute of Child Development (ICD), which has launched a resource website aimed at guiding parents and educators in addressing and mitigating what they see as the adverse effects of “whiteness.”

The website, a product of the ICD’s Culture and Family Lab, clarifies that the concept of “whiteness” pertains to cultural aspects rather than biological ones. The researchers explain that this long-standing culture embodies traits such as colorblindness, passivity, and white fragility—elements they identify as subtle manifestations of racism prevalent in the United States.

By introducing the term “whiteness pandemic,” the researchers aim to shift focus away from merely the victims and consequences of racism to the underlying systems that sustain it, with a particular emphasis on the family unit. This initiative underscores the importance of addressing these systemic issues at their roots to foster meaningful change.

‘The centuries-old culture of whiteness features colorblindness, passivity, and white fragility, which are all covert expressions of racism common in the United States,’ the researchers wrote. 

‘Naming the whiteness pandemic shifts our gaze from the victims and effects of racism onto the systems that perpetuate racism, starting with the family system.’

These resources are directed at Caucasian people, as the researchers claimed that children growing up in white families are ‘socialized’ into harmful racist ideologies. 

But these sentiments have received backlash from Defending Education, a right-wing organization advocating for ‘non-political education’ and fighting against ‘indoctrination in classrooms,’ according to its website.  

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Defending Education’s Senior Director of Communications, Erika Sanzi, described the ‘white pandemic’ as a ‘denigration and vilification based on race.’

University of Minnesota students are seen walking to class. The university shared resources on how to combat the ‘whiteness pandemic’

Dr Gail Ferguson was the lead author of the 2021 study, ‘The whiteness pandemic behind the racism pandemic: Familial whiteness socialization in Minneapolis following #GeorgeFloyd’s murder’ 

‘This is a public university and taxpayers have a right to know what they are funding,’ she continued.

‘Referring to whiteness as a pandemic is dehumanizing, and while the academics will argue, they’re not really talking about white people, 99 percent of people will understand it to mean that. It’s grotesque.’ 

The UM researchers noted that anyone raised in the US has ‘grown up in the whiteness pandemic.’

‘Especially if you are white because of the power and privilege you hold in this racialized society,’ the ICD website reads. 

It also notes that it is ‘not your fault’ if you were brought up in ‘the culture of whiteness,’ but it is up to the individuals to take ‘antiracist action’ and ‘develop a healthy, positive white identity.’ 

The site directs people to various videos, guides and articles outlining the issue and explaining how it can be presented to children. 

For instance, links include a blog post called ‘Talking to children about racism,’ by UM psychologist Dr Katie Lingras and ‘How to explain white privilege in terms simple enough for a child’ by journalist Maressa Brown. 

The resources and definition of the ‘whiteness pandemic’ are based on a paper titled ‘The whiteness pandemic behind the racism pandemic: Familial whiteness socialization in Minneapolis following #GeorgeFloyd’s murder.’

The project was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the ICD and fellowships from the state-funded university located in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul. 

The paper was written in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, one of the city’s UM is located in 

Culture and Family Lab Director and lead author Dr Gail Ferguson won a 2022 award for the article from the Society for General Psychology. 

In 2021, when the paper was first published, Ferguson explained that it expanded on the sentiment expressed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director at the time, Dr Rochelle Walensky, who described racism as an ‘epidemic.’

The paper concluded that racism in the US is the result of children being born into ‘whiteness’ culture, from surveying 392 participants. 

Everyone surveyed was a white mother, all but a few from Minnesota, with an average income range of $125,000 to $149,999. 

More than 90 percent of participants had a bachelor’s degree and more than 60 percent of them described themselves as ‘somewhat or very liberal’ compared to the just 18 percent who were ‘somewhat or very conservative.’ 

The paper’s authors dedicated it to George Floyd, a black man killed by a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, sparking the global Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality and systemic racism. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to UM’s ICD for comment.