LinkedIn Removes 'Be Less White' Lesson From Its Site, Coke Claims the Class Wasn't Required

On February 19th, I covered the case of an “antiracism” class allegedly provided by Coca-Cola to its employees.

At this point, it appears, it’s no longer a mere allegation.

As part of Coke’s “diversity” training, the company offered a wealth of advice to those who work for it.

One pearl: “Try to be less white.”

For some, that may be difficult.

Among the most challenged: people who are white.

Nonetheless, all were encouraged to cut out the Caucasianing.

Per the course, here’s how:

Be less oppressive

Be less arrogant

Be less certain

Be less defensive

Be less ignorant

Be more humble

Listen

Believe

Break with apathy

Break with white solidarity

Unifying message from @CocaCola to its employees. “Try to be less white.” https://t.co/OEsTQgdGOK

— Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) February 19, 2021

As it turns out, the above hasn’t been particularly good press for the soda giant.

Additionally, LinkedIn — the social media company upon which the class could be found — has pulled “Confronting Racism with Robin DiAngelo” from its site.

Newsweek quotes LinkedIn Vice President of Corporate Communications Nicole Leverich:

“The Confronting Racism course featuring Robin DiAngelo is no longer available in our course library, at the request of the 3rd party content provider we licensed this content from.”

They’ve got diversity out the ying-yang:

“We provide a wide variety of learning content, including more than 270 courses on the topics of diversity, inclusion and belonging. We will continue to add new courses to help people learn the skills they need to be more successful in their career, including the foundational skills we all need to be effective allies and help build a more equitable future.”

According to The Daily Wire, Coke claims participation in the course wasn’t compulsory.

However, YouTube’s Karlyn Borysenko — originator of the story — says an email’s been released by a Coca-Cola staffer pointing to the instruction as required viewing.

On Tuesday, the soft drink manufacturer provided Newsweek with a statement:

“The video in question was accessible on a third-party platform and was not part of the company’s curriculum, so it was not required. Our overall diversity, equity and inclusion training is required and received input from employees reflecting a wide range of backgrounds, views and expertise.”

The Blaze relayed another such response:

Statement from @CocaCola: https://t.co/Jzur7zuXFz pic.twitter.com/DBIpsj5706

— Chris Pandolfo (@ChrisCPandolfo) February 20, 2021

And on February 20th, NationalFile.com asserted it received a statement from Coke denying the DiAngelo course was any part of its curriculum:

Our Better Together global training is part of a learning plan to help build an inclusive workplace. It is comprised of a number of short vignettes, each a few minutes long. The training includes access to the LinkedIn Learning platform on a variety of topics, including on diversity, equity and inclusion. The video in question was accessible on the LinkedIn Learning platform but was not part of the company’s curriculum. We will continue to listen to our employees and refine our learning programs as appropriate.

It appears everyone’s backing away.

Does this mean corporations will be less likely to go the antiracist route?

Either way, we’re living in a very complicated time.

And a colossal culprit, as I see it, is politics.

Politics has invaded every aspect of our lives.

The workplace, the stores we frequent, the products we buy, the schools we attend…we’re stuck in a cable news channel — it’s All Politics, All the Time.

I miss the days when the world was simpler.

And if I had to guess, so does Coke.

Through the lens of nostalgia, back then, it seems we all — even the white folks — just had a Coke and a smile.