White historian claims her life would be easier if she were black, sparking instant backlashBy Allie Griffin
July 4, 2023
A white historian and retired professor speaking at a conference Friday said she wished she was black because she believed it would have made her professional life easier — leading audience members to storm out in protest.
The academic, identified by attendees online as Lois Banner, a USC professor emerita of history, was instantly called out for her remarks during the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians, which she co-founded in the 1970s.
“Well, the Berks plenary just took a turn,” attendee and PhD candidate Stephanie Narrow said on Twitter. “A white senior scholar at the 50th anniversary plenary VERY publicly, and unapologetically, said that she wished she was Black so her professional life would be easier.”
Narrow, who later named Banner as the scholar, said she refused to take back what she said.
She claimed the academic, who is the author of a 2012 biography of Marilyn Monroe, said: “You won’t change my mind — I’m 84 years old.”
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/07/04/white-historian-lois-banner-claims-her-life-would-be-easier-if-she-were-black-sparking-instant-backlash/
