I conclude that the decisions to force Black students to share top honors with white students result from a psychological discomfort known as “white fragility.” This is a state of stress experienced by some white people when they are presented with information about people of color that challenges their sense of entitlement. I maintain that when students of color are named top students in their graduating class, as Shepard was in 2016, white society may begin to fear that students of color are encroaching upon their social turf.
Jamel K. Donnor
Jamel K. Donnor is an Associate Professor of Education with affiliations in American Studies, Africana Studies, and the Center for Racial and Social Justice at William & Mary. Dr. Donnor’s work on race and inequality in education covers an array of topics, including critical race theory, school desegregation, intercollegiate athletics, and affirmative action in higher education. He has co-edited several books including: Scandals in College Sports: Legal, Ethical, and Policy Case Studies, Critical Race Theory in Education: All God's Children Got a Song (2nd, ed,), The Charter School Solution: Distinguishing Fact from Rhetoric, and The Resegregation of Schools: Race and Education in the Twenty-First Century.