UVA’s Strange Obsession with Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility

Aaron Sibarium made waves with his story about Robin DiAngelo, author of White Fragility, facing a plagiarism complaint in Fall of 2024. DiAngelo was promoted as a go-to figure on “systemic racism” after George Floyd’s death, but the more you look at how universities like the University of Virginia (UVA) have championed her work, the more it raises questions. Here are some of the oddest ways UVA has kept DiAngelo's ideas alive, even as her credibility has come under scrutiny.

The UVA Bookstore

Despite White Fragility's popularity waning, it still lines the shelves at UVA's bookstore. This suggests the book is still part of curricula, indicating the lasting influence of DiAngelo's teachings at UVA, even in 2025.

HR Training on Whiteness

UVA’s Human Resources department offered a class called Examining Whiteness: An Ideology, which delves into DiAngelo’s lessons on “power” and “fragility.” The class was part of UVA President Jim Ryan’s 2030 diversity initiative, focusing heavily on race and whiteness.

Sponsoring Student Encounters with DiAngelo

In 2019, UVA students attended the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, where they had the chance to meet DiAngelo in person. Sponsored by the provost’s office, this event reveals how deeply UVA invested in promoting her worldview.

White Fragility on Many Reading Lists

White Fragility has made its way onto numerous UVA reading lists across departments. Among the more radical lists, a professor named Oludamini Ogunnaike included DiAngelo’s book alongside works by Marxist theorists and others aiming to “decolonize” the university.

Darden Business School’s Allyship Pack

Perhaps the most baffling example is UVA’s Darden School of Business, where White Fragility is part of an “Allyship Starter Pack.” While the business school’s mission is to train future leaders, it also incorporates diversity initiatives like this, often with no real academic backing.

Honorable Mention: UVA Nursing

Even the UVA Health System wasn't immune. The School of Nursing’s Diversity and Inclusion program used White Fragility in their “anti-racism” efforts, further cementing DiAngelo’s influence across UVA's landscape. This video from UVA Health mentions the books groups and gives you a look into what this looks like in action. Does this sound helpful or paranoid?

UVA pushed DiAngelo as a thought leader, her recent fall from grace raises uncomfortable questions about the university’s role in promoting questionable ideas that many DEI Deans and Departments utilize across the university. As her usefulness fades, don't be surprised if UVA quietly scrubs mentions of her from their site—only time will tell.