A Floridian nurse who was working to earn a doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Alabama has left the program after allegedly being subjected to a barrage of Critical Race Theory (CRT). As reported by 1819 News, Sarah Budde originally believed that the University of Alabama was the right place for her to pursue her doctorate. However, Budde came to regret her decision after taking a class entitled “multicultural and social education for leadership personnel” which was taught by Dr. Nirmala Erevelles.
The course was described in the syllabus as featuring “critical concepts and perspectives such as ideology critique, structural violence, social suffering, critical race theory, feminist theory, disability studies, queer theory, and social justice.” During orientation for the class, Budde claimed she was informed by Erevelles that “everyone had racial biases” and that “‘othering’ people is racist by assuming others need help.”
Budde also alleged that Erevelles “told us she is allowed to teach whatever she wants. She also stated she would teach us how to subvert laws and teach CRT concepts in states where it is illegal.” Readings for the course also included Critical Race Theory and gender ideology, such as the books “Medical Apartheid” and “Gender: A Graphic Guide”, the anti-white and anti-male content of which was apparently the breaking point which pushed Budde to withdraw from the program.
Erevelles has contested Budde’s claims, saying that she never “would ever call anybody racist to their face.”
According to 1819 News, “the professor claimed the issues discussed in the course are discussed very broadly so that no one race or person would feel singled out.” Erevelles also stated that she had not “done anything outside of the ordinary” in regard to teaching the course and that her course “was a course that the student would have known about before she enrolled.”
On the University of Alabama’s website, Erevelles’ credentials strongly emphasize her background in studying CRT and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Her biography states, “her teaching and research interests lie in the areas of disability studies, critical race theory, transnational feminism, sociology of education, and postcolonial studies” and that she is currently working on a manuscript entitled “Cripping Empire: Theorizing Intersectionality as if Black/Brown/Disabled Lives Matter.”
If Erevelles considers such a CRT-laden repertoire to not be “anything outside of the ordinary,” then it seems that the problem of CRT and DEI infesting American schools may be more severe than many fear.