Robin DiAngelo, author of the bestselling book White Fragility, has been accused of plagiarizing minority writers in her doctoral thesis from 2004. The Washington Free Beacon obtained a complaint filed with the University of Washington that outlines 20 instances of alleged plagiarism in DiAngelo’s thesis titled “Whiteness in Racial Dialogue: A Discourse Analysis.
Among the cited examples are two paragraphs that were almost entirely reproduced from Northeastern University’s Thomas Nakayama and coauthor Robert Krizek, where DiAngelo failed to provide adequate attribution. Another example shows DiAngelo allegedly misrepresenting a paragraph written by Asian-American professor Stacey Lee of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Instead of clearly stating that Lee had summarized the work of scholar David Theo Goldberg, the information was presented in such a way to make it appear as if DiAngelo herself provided the summary.
Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, said that DiAngelo’s work rises to the level of “forgery” in certain circles. He stated that it is never appropriate to use the secondary source without acknowledging it, and even worse to present it as one’s own words, which constitutes plagiarism.
When questioned about the accusations, University of Washington spokeswoman Dana Robinson Slote told the New York Post that they are committed to the integrity of research conducted at the university, and all complaints are carefully reviewed.
As noted by the Free Beacon, DiAngelo remained a relatively obscure professor upon the publication of her book until the death of George Floyd in 2020, which catapulted her into national stardom. Her book White Fragility became a bestseller following George Floyd’s death and gained significant attention. DiAngelo has since become a highly sought-after speaker and author on race relations, addressing various groups, including members of Congress.