AT&T tells white staff they are racist, asks them to confess their ‘white privilege’ and to promote ‘Defund the Police as part of re-education program by CEO John Stankey

  • AT&T provides its employees with access to a learning resource called Listen Understand Act
  • The internal forum provided recommendations for books and articles to read and films to watch
  • One senior employee told journalist Christopher Rufo that staff at AT&T were pressured to engage with the portal
  • Managers, the source said, had participation with some of the recommended material included in their annual review 
  • One of the recommended articles was from the Chicago Tribune, entitled: ‘White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror’ 
  • The portal recommends a ’21-Day Racial Equity Habit Challenge’, during which time participants are encouraged to interact with anti-racism activists and question their own actions

White employees of AT&T have been told to read an article saying that they are racist, are told to confess to their ‘white privilege’ and acknowledge ‘systemic racism,’ and must engage with set texts or else they will be penalized in their performance reviews.

AT&T, in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder, introduced an internal program called Listen Understand Act.

John Stankey, the CEO of AT&T, wrote to the company’s 230,000 employees in an April 2021 email, obtained by journalist Christopher Rufo and published on his website.

Stankey, who took over as CEO in July 2020, urged his workers to make the most of the resources provided by AT&T’s anti-racism portal.

‘As individuals, we can make a difference by doing our part to advance racial equity and justice for all,’ he wrote.

‘If you are looking for tools to better educate and inform yourself on racial equality, resources are available at Listen. Understand. Act.

‘We also encourage you to actively participate in our recently launched Equality First learning experience, a new initiative to increase awareness and action around our value to Stand for Equality.’

Most employees are not forced to engage with the Listen Understand Act program, but managers at AT&T are now assessed annually on diversity issues – with mandatory participation in programs such as discussion groups, book clubs, mentorship programs, and race reeducation exercises, according to Rufo’s source.

The source told Rufo that employees are asked to sign a loyalty pledge to ‘keep pushing for change.’

They are encouraged to sign up to ‘intentions’ such as ‘reading more about systemic racism’ and ‘challenging others’ language that is hateful.’

The source, described as a senior employee, said: ‘If you don’t do it, you’re a racist.’

Rufo published several pages from the Listen Understand Act portal.

One of the recommended reading items was a May 31, 2020 article from the Chicago Tribune by columnist Dahleen Glanton, entitled: ‘White America, if you want to know who’s responsible for racism, look in the mirror.’

The portal also recommended books such as White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo, and White Awake: An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White, by Daniel Hill.