The president of Canada’s children’s hospital faces fierce backlash for promoting an anti-racism book
Canada Children’s Hospital president is being criticized for telling her white friends to read ‘Deconstructing Karen’ – which warns against ‘tone-policing to weaponized tears’
- Julia Hanigsberg is the head of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
- “If you’re my friend — and a white woman — I may have a gift for you,” she wrote
- Response to book designed to educate white women about anti-racism
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The CEO and president of one of Canada’s top children’s hospitals caused a stir when she offered her white friends a book on anti-racism.
Julia Hanigsberg, the head of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, promoted a book by authors Saira Rao and Regina Jackson titled White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better (with a guide to unlearn to start) ).’
She wrote, “If you’re my friend — and a white woman — I may have a gift for you.” #WhiteWomen #Race2Dinner #DeconstructingKaren.”
Hanigsberg – who has held her position at the hospital for eight years and is also on the board of Children’s Healthcare Canada – added a link to the book.
Julia Hanigsberg, the head of the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, promoted a book by authors Saira Rao and Regina Jackson
The book is titled, “White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How You Can Do Better (with a Guide to Starting Unlearning).”
The book promote itself as a way to deconstruct and analyze “nine aspects of white women’s traditional behavior—from tone policing to weaponized tears—that perpetuate white supremacist society and hurt all of us who try to live freer, more just lives.” ‘
It asks reader questions including, “How has being nice helped Black women, Native women, and other women of color?” How has being “nice” helped you in your quest to end sexism? Did being ‘nice’ get you economic equality with white men?’
“White Women” rocketed to the New York Times bestseller list upon release.
The backlash on Twitter was pretty quick in retaliation, with writer Noam Blum proverb: “You have no friends.”
Podcaster Miller Frost added: “Welcome to the face of hysterical white liberals, with their incessant need to signal virtue, and their poisonous self-loathing and white shame.”
Another reader joked agreed: “Hey friend, do you want a decent way to intellectualize your self-loathing? Boy, I have a book for you!’
One simply used a popular Twitter joke format and said, “Narrator: She had no friends.”
She wrote, “If you’re my friend — and a white woman — I may have a gift for you.” #WhiteWomen #Race2Dinner #DeconstructingKaren’
Hanigsberg held her position at Holland Bloorview Hospital in Toronto for eight years and also sits on the Board of Directors of Children’s Healthcare Canada
Race 2 Dinner, the organization Rao and Jackson founded, also tweeted about the controversy, saying, “If you want to SEE how much white people need this book, just read the comments. SIR.’
Hanigsberg responded to their tweet, “Oh my! I CHOSE the trolls and I didn’t even write the damn book. Imagine what @reginajacksonme and @sairasameerarao deal with on a daily basis.”
Her hospital provides care for “children with disabilities, children who need rehabilitation after illness or trauma, children whose medical complexities require a form of care they cannot get anywhere else,” according to the website.
The book was praised by liberal comedian Chelsea Handler and actress Anna Paquin.
Rao himself has sparked outrage in the past with wild statements such as “American schools are white supremacist factories,” “white supremacy is behind all violence,” and even “if you idolize Nancy Pelosi, you might as well declare allegiance to David Duke.’
She also ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress in Colorado, losing in a 2018 Democratic primary.
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