Speaker’s Critical Race Theory speech cost UMich over $250 per minute

A guest speaker at the University of Michigan received $20,000 for a lecture on Critical Race Theory, which translated into $266 per minute. 

That calculation comes from The Federalist’s reporting. The outlet obtained a contract between the University of Michigan and Beverly Daniel Tatum — a clinical psychologist and president emerita of Spelman College — for a sixty to seventy-five minute speaking engagement that occurred via Zoom on September 9. 

[RELATED: Condoleezza Rice has harsh words for CRT]

“When we even think about the pushback against Critical Race Theory, it’s really a social ‘shh, don’t talk about it.’ Right?” The Federalist quoted Tatum as saying. “That there is [sic] so many cues in the environment to teach us at an early age [that] this is a toxic subject. People don’t want to hear about it.”

Campus Reform has reported on several instances of woke or “anti-racist” speakers being paid exorbitant fees to deliver lectures. 

[RELATED: University pays $12,750 for author of ‘White Fragility’ to speak on campus, pays Black speaker thousands less]

For example, the University of Michigan also paid Ibram X. Kendi $20,000 last year to deliver a one-hour speech.

Tatum recommended Kendi’s How to Be Racist book during her talk. 

Additionally, the Oregon Department of Education paid $50,000 to “1619 Project” founder Nikole Hannah-Jones for two virtual speeches. The money was generated by drawing funds from a program meant to address absenteeism among disadvantaged students.

Hannah-Jones never responded to Campus Reform’s inquiry into whether she was aware that the Oregon Department of Education drew her payment from the absenteeism program.

Campus Reform reached out to the University of Michigan to ask about the source of Tatum’s payment; this article will be updated accordingly.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @BenZeisloft