A conference for women historians has apologized and condemned “the racist, homophobic, and Islamophobic comments” made by a senior scholar in a speech last week that roiled the academics in attendance, leading many to walk out of the event in disgust.
In a statement Wednesday, the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians denounced Dr. Lois Banner’s “very public racism” onstage Friday at the 50th anniversary of “Big Berks,” a triennial gathering which Banner helped found. It apologized “sincerely for the harm experienced” by those in the room.
Banner, who was named in the statement, doubled down after saying that she didn’t feel as though her whiteness had benefited her in her career, a witness in the audience told The Daily Beast on Sunday night.
ADVERTISEMENT
As discomfort and revulsion swept through the room, Banner insisted that she was in her eighties and that her mind would not be changed, according to Paul Renfro, a professor at Florida State University. “Which is interesting, coming from a scholar who should be curious,” he commented. “If an audience of your peers is questioning what you’ve said, and folks are rightly saying [that] this is deeply, deeply harmful and problematic, then maybe it is something that you should consider.”
Renfro also told The Daily Beast that Banner was allowed to continue speaking, with the event’s organizers making no move to step in or interrupt her. The Berks, as the conference is known, addressed that failure in its Wednesday statement, calling it a “grave mistake” made by leadership.
“As we wrestle with Banner’s comments and our own inaction, we must note that her remarks constitute only the latest incident for our members, officers, and colleagues of color; many report one-on-one microaggressions and racist encounters at this conference and prior events,” the organization said.
It went on to note that Banner’s remarks were “a symptom of a larger problem” in the historical field and wider society. It promised to “take concrete measures to correct and confront” that problem, laying out a four-point action plan. It included a commitment to providing resources to allow more scholars of color to attend the conference, and to making structural changes to the organization itself, including a revision of its bylaws.
The statement called on “white women who are tenured or tenure-track” to lead the organization’s evolution “so that the burden of changing racist practices does not fall on scholars of color.”
Banner is a professor emerita of history at the University of Southern California, an honorary title given to some retired scholars. In a statement to The Daily Beast, the school emphasized its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Lois Banner retired from the university about 10 years ago,” USC added. “Any comments she makes are her own and don’t represent the views of the university.”
Banner did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment from The Daily Beast.
