UW-Madison dean called Trump racist, claimed education system, math is inherently violent to Black students
An associate dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has publicly called former President Donald Trump a racist and co-authored an academic paper suggesting the American education system, and even mathematics, is “inherently violent” toward Black students.Percival Matthews, associate dean for the Office of the Dean and a professor in the Human Development Area at UW–Madison, shared his views in a series of Facebook posts and academic writings reviewed by Fox News Digital.In a January 2018 Facebook post, Matthews appeared to label Trump a racist, writing, “What’s on my mind? This: When you get a guy in the ultimate seat of power with a history of racist endeavors who makes not-even-veiled racist comments that a decent portion of the people continue to defend, you’re left wondering what’s left to do.”He continued by invoking Malcolm X, saying, “For many, the name Malcolm X evokes the image of an unnecessarily violent man who hated America.But if you actually read the text of his best speeches (I recommend The Ballot or the Bullet as a starter), it’s clear that the frustration was fueled by a bald-faced (look the origin of that term up too) denial of an undeniable and obvious truth.”Matthews, who was appointed “special advisor for access and community” in April, a role that “recognizes the importance of advancing UW–Madison’s institutional efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive community for students and employees from every background,” has also made reference to the concept of “violence” in education.In a paper co-authored with Pooja Sidney, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky, Matthews claimed that systemic inequities in education leave Black students “shut out” of advanced courses, particularly in mathematics.“This exclusionary narrative continues into the higher grades, with Black children routinely being shut out of advanced mathematics courses despite meeting achievement standards,�...