Ohio State paid $12K to ‘White Fragility’ author for Zoom speech

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Could you make over $10,000 for an online speech? Robin DiAngelo, a Critical Race Theory supporter and author of the much-maligned “White Fragility” book, made $12,000 from a virtual keynote speech to Ohio State University students.

DiAngelo, who is one of the most prominent Critical Race Theory supporters other than fellow author Ibram X. Kendi, gave the virtual speech on March 24, 2021. The speech was part of the 22^nd Annual President and Provost’s Diversity Lecture & Cultural Arts Series at Ohio State University.

As the sole speaker, she lectured for over an hour through Zoom (an online video conference platform) at no charge to the public. The university said DiAngelo’s speech was not paid by taxpayer dollars, but through its endowment fund.

The Federalist pointed out that DiAngelo signed a contract with the Ohio public university through an limited liability corporation (LLC). Forming an LLC could potentially limit the legal liability or exposure of one’s assets.

Also, DiAngelo did not allow any recordings or question and answer session in her contract. Many of her past speeches, presentation slides or comments cannot be found online due to these specific provisions in her contracts.

“White Fragility” is an oft-cited book for Critical Race Theory advocates and it is a best-seller since its 2018 debut. National Public Radio reported that DiAngelo is a white woman, but she claimed in her book that white people will never get over their biases and unconscious racism. Critics said that her book portrays non-white people as powerless and devoid of individuality.