'You are the problem': AT&T tells white staff they are racist, asks them to confess their 'white privilege…’
White employees of AT&T have been told to read an article saying that they are racist, are told to confess to their 'white privilege' and acknowledge 'systemic racism,' and must engage with set texts or else they will be penalized in their performance reviews…
AT&T, in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, introduced an internal program called Listen Understand Act.
John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T, wrote to the company's 230,000 employees in an April 2021 email, obtained by journalist Christopher Rufo and published on his website
Most employees are not forced to engage with the Listen Understand Act program, but managers at AT&T are now assessed annually on diversity issues - with mandatory participation in programs such as discussion groups, book clubs, mentorship programs, and race reeducation exercises, according to Rufo's source.
The source told Rufo that employees are asked to sign a loyalty pledge to 'keep pushing for change.' They are encouraged to sign up to 'intentions' such as 'reading more about systemic racism' and 'challenging others' language that is hateful.'
The source, described as a senior employee, said: 'If you don't do it, you're a racist…’
One of the recommended reading items was a May 31, 2020 article from the Chicago Tribune by columnist Dahleen Glanton, entitled: 'White America, if you want to know who's responsible for racism, look in the mirror.'
The article claims that America is a 'racist society' and says 'white people are the problem.
'Regardless of how much you say you detest racism, you are the sole reason it has flourished for centuries,' Glanton writes.
She adds that 'American racism is a uniquely white trait and that black people cannot be racist'