Chandan 1
Vishal Chandan
Professor Clifford
ENG 100
October 20,2025
Annotated Bibliography
Modern racism has evolved from subtle racism to overt because of the removal racial historic
exhibits, the censoring of diversity studies in colleges and universities, and the closure of
diversity studies unions.
In the past racism was overt which led to tragic consequences and reforms were made.
This changed racism to being more subtle but recent policies and laws from the current
administration is leading to more overt racism. To support my claim I found reputable supporting
evidence from three sources from the the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the
Guardian. The research was conducted on October 6, 2025. All three sources were produced in
the year 2025 so it is current, reliable and relevant.
“Arnsdorf, Isaac, and Susan Svrluga. "Trump says pressure on Columbia is only the beginning
for college campuses." Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2025. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A831208380/OVIC?u=pa_de_ccc&sid=bookmarkOVIC&xid=c99dc384. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
The Washington Post writes that the current administration pressured the
Columbia university with threats of withholding a four hundred million dollar
funding for the school if they did not reform admission and place the department
of Middle East, South Asian and African studies under academic receivership.
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The university caved and allowed the administration to censor the diversity
studies. This is the first of twenty six universities that the administration has the
same plan. Censuring of diversity studies can have lead to overt racism because it
legitimizes ignorance; suppression of anti-racist education; fostering
misinformation and stereotypes; silencing of marginalized voices and creating a
hostile environments
"Removing or editing Philly slavery exhibits is 'un-American,' 45 local historical groups tell
Trump's Interior secretary." Philadelphia Inquirer [Philadelphia, PA], 8 Sept. 2025. Gale In
Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A854679806/OVIC?u=pa_de_ccc&sid=bookmarkOVIC&xid=1926ecd7. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that lots of people have signed a letter to
President Donald Trump opposing the removal slavery exhibits from
Independence Park, the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Independence Hall, and
other locations.To eliminate and deny the lived experiences of millions of
Americans will perpetuate the harms of ignorance. Removal of these exhibits
could result in overt racism because it undermines the legacy of racism;
discourage honest dialogue, it signals black history is optional and not important,
dehumanize the descendants of slavery and it empowered white supremacist.
"'We're going backwards': the Black student unions forced to close on US campuses; Black
student unions at US colleges are fighting to stay in operation as state laws targeting DEI
Chandan 3
initiatives threaten their existence." Guardian [London, England], 5 Mar. 2025. Gale In
Context: Opposing Viewpoints,
link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829745247/OVIC?u=pa_de_ccc&sid=bookmarkOVIC&xid=eadc19f8. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
The Guardian reports we are going backwards. The current administration antiDEI bills are causing black student unions across several in at least eleven states
across the country to close and be replaced. President Donald Trump threatened to
withhold federal funding to those who do not comply. This can lead to overt
racism because it removes safe spaces to find support and community; symbolic
erasure of black presence; undermines history; signals racist people, its time to
act; reinforces white -centered culture; symbolic erasure of black presence and
isolation of black students.