The Volokh Conspiracy

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"Oregon Health Officials Delayed a Meeting Because 'Urgency Is a White Supremacy Value'"

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Robby Soave reports, here at Reason:

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is a government agency that coordinates medical care and social well-being in the Beaver State. During the pandemic, OHA was responsible for coordinating Oregon's vaccination drive and disseminating information about COVID-19—both vital tasks.

The agency's office for equity and inclusion, however, prefers not to rush the business of government. In fact, the office's program manager delayed a meeting with partner organizations on the stated grounds that "urgency is a white supremacy value." …

"Thank you for your interest in attending the community conversation between Regional Health Equity Coalitions (RHECs) and Community Advisory Councils (CACs) to discuss the Community Investment Collaboratives (CICs)," wrote [the Regional Health Equity Coalition Program Manager]. "We recognize that urgency is a white supremacy value that can get in the way of more intentional and thoughtful work, and we want to attend to this dynamic. Therefore, we will reach out at a later date to reschedule."

Oddly enough, there also other people who have long believed that whites are more likely than nonwhites to have particular character traits, such as (among other things) being willing to go along with requests to do things urgently. Indeed, I'd heard jokes those people tell reflecting that very perception. I just don't think highly of those people.

UPDATE: You can see a screenshot of the e-mail, which is also included in Soave's post, here.