Former Penn State professor Zack De Piero claims college said English language is 'racist'

A former professor is suing Pennsylvania State University for alleged racial discrimination, claiming the school forced him to teach students that the English language embodies white supremacy. Zack De Piero, who previously taught English at Penn State Abington, claims that his direct report, Liliana Naydan, endorsed the view that White supremacy exists in the language

Explore More

A former professor is suing Pennsylvania State University for alleged racial discrimination, claiming the school forced him to teach students that the English language embodies white supremacy.

Zack De Piero, who previously taught English at Penn State Abington, claims that his direct report, Liliana Naydan, endorsed the view that “White supremacy exists in the language itself, and therefore, that the English language itself is ‘racist,’” Fox News Digital reported.

The accusation is one of many in the extensive suit filed by the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, which argues that De Piero “was individually singled out for ridicule and humiliation” because he is white.

According to the suit, De Piero and other Penn State faculty were encouraged to participate in anti-racist workshops and trainings, including one titled “White Teachers are the Problem.”

The filing also accuses the university of maintaining a “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” webpage — a standard practice for most universities and comparable institutions — that “disseminated racist tirades against White faculty and students,” the outlet said.

Zack De Piero was an English professor at Penn State Abington before he left in a huff over racial equity. FoxDigital

Among the so-called “racist tirades” was the book “White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Race” by Robin DiAngelo, who is white.

The lawsuit claims that De Piero believed he was being singled out based on his race.

“When he complained about the continuous stream of racial insult directed at White faculty in the writing department, the director of the Affirmative Action Office told him that ‘There is a problem with the White race,’ that he should attend ‘antiracist’ workshops ‘until you get it,’ and that he might have mental health issues,” the suit alleges.

De Piero told Fox News Digital that he felt the university’s approach to diversity and inclusion produced a “cult-like environment where you had this Original Sin.”

De Piero is suing his former employers for discrimination. northampton.edu

“In this case, I’m White. I need to repent for that sin,” he continued.

“I need to keep going to these [trainings], keep doing the work … I think they were waging a psychological war campaign and they’re trying to break people. And they almost broke me. But they didn’t.” 

The lawsuit accuses Naydan in particular of believing “that racism practiced against White faculty and students is legitimate,” though it contradicts itself by also saying that Naydan did not believe it was possible to be racist against white individuals.

De Piero claims that Naydan coerced faculty into even grading students based on their race.

“Defendants’ bigotry manifests itself in low expectations. They do not expect Black or Hispanic students to achieve the same mastery of academic subject matters as other students and therefore insist that deficient performance must be excused,” the lawsuit says.

“Second, Defendants’ bigotry manifests itself in overt discrimination against students and faculty who do apply consistent standards, especially White faculty.”

De Piero now teaches at Northampton Community College. FoxDigital

While the lawsuit does not offer much explanation, Naydan’s alleged statements about racism in the English language may have been referring to the imposition of Standard American English over African American Vernacular English.

De Piero was also offended when an equity administrator, Alina Wong, allegedly suggested during a breathing exercise at a meeting that white staff hold their breath longer in order to “‘feel the pain’ that George Floyd endured.”

“De Piero and other faculty were thus singled out, caused to experience discomfort, and feel ‘the pain’ on the basis of their skin color,” the lawsuit alleges.

Speaking to Fox News Digital this week, De Piero said he was doubly offended by Penn State’s anti-racist programming because he prided himself on working with marginalized communities.

“How dare you demean anybody based on their natural characteristics that they have no control over,” he told the outlet.

“They were seeing me go through this stuff and they’re all very concerned about me,” he said. “I really honestly feel for people who don’t have that kind of support network. I don’t see how you could get through something like this alone. I really don’t,” he added of his friends’ and family’s reaction to his experience.

De Piero said his young daughter ultimately pushed him to push back on the inclusive, educational messaging.

“I remember there was one night I was putting her to bed, sort of like wondering what she was going to be in life when all this was happening. And I remember thinking … if she wants to be a teacher, I don’t want her to ever have to enter this kind of work environment and be made to be feel like [she’s] somehow professionally incompetent or morally inept simply because the color of her skin,” he recalled.

De Piero ultimately left Penn State last August. He is currently an assistant professor of English at Northampton Community College.

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j29ma29fm7yzucSrZKmdnqN6tMDArZxmqKKks26vy5qgpqtdqLCpu86lZKyZmZl6prrGpaCsoF2hrq%2Bz1JqenmWZqHq4tMitnGarpaW%2FprnAnLBo

 Share!