Academic argues that 'white conservatives still reject' equal rights

William Horne, a postdoctoral fellow at Villanova University, suggested recently that “white conservatives” reject equal rights for all persons.

In 1868, Black Louisianans rewrote the state constitution to guarantee that “all persons shall enjoy equal rights & privileges,” including integrated schools, free & fair elections, & equal accommodations, rights white conservatives still reject. Pass it on. https://t.co/ocEwVNQNjl pic.twitter.com/H0JEevTgOW

— Dr. William Horne (@wihorne) February 7, 2022

Horne is “a teacher, writer, speaker, editor, and historian of racial capitalism and Black liberation, whose “research focuses on how elites and white supremacists use the state to (re)create racial inequality,” according to the scholar’s website. 

Horne has taught a course called “Backlash and the American State,” which takes a deep dive into the history of white-on-black racism in the country, and projects it onto modern-day America.

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In the syllabus, he compares “White reactionaries protest[ing] the integration of Central High School in Little Rock (1959)” to “today’s ‘CRT’ protestors.”

“It became clear to many of us that we were in the midst of a white backlash movement in the summer of 2021,” Horne wrote in an article last year about the course. 

Horne has also written a piece called “White Americans Fail to Address Their Family Histories” in which he wrote that one of his ancestors who “died in 1865 fighting Sherman... had it coming.” He continued, “I meant it. You cannot exploit and abuse millions of people for profit without consequences.”

William Horne’s quote tweet was in response to NPR host Peter Sagal quote tweeting a message from the Republican National Committee’s Twitter account noting a record number of black Republicans running for office in celebration of Black History Month.

In 1868, Black freedmen made up a majority in the SC legislature’s lower house. Teaching what happened to them and why is now illegal in many states. https://t.co/fsHsODjMwr

— Peter Sagal (@petersagal) February 7, 2022

This claim by Peter Sagal was in response to states banning Critical Race Theory and similar ideologies from the classroom, however teaching the history of slavery, racism, and the post-Civil War reconstruction era is not illegal in any state.

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The website Politifact outlines the distinction between teaching Critical Race Theory and topics that relate to Black History Month. 

According to the Heritage Foundation, there are six states with laws on the books prohibiting Critical Race Theory from being taught, 11 states with similar legislation pending approval, and an additional 8 states who recently introduced anti-CRT legislation.

The first African-American Senator, Hiram Revels, as well as the first African-American member of the House of Representatives, Joseph Revels, were both Republicans, as were every one of the first 23 black members of Congress. The Democrat Party did not elect a black congressman until 1934.

Campus Reform has reached out to Horne and Villanova University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

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