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Hackman Consulting Group

Website:

https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/about/
Location:

Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Type:

For-profit DEI Consultancy
Founder:

Heather Hackman
Founded:

2005

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The Hackman Consulting Group is a critical race theory-aligned diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that was founded by Heather Hackman. It promotes solidarity with the Black Lives Matter and Not Your Mascots movements 1 and states that there is a connection between race, racism, and whiteness and “nervous system patterns in the individual and social body of white people.” 2

The California Teachers Association announced in June 2019 that Hackman was working with the teachers’ union on “racial equity work.” Hackman led the California Teachers Association’s board of directors and other “diverse leaders” through a four-day session. 3

Background

Heather Hackman founded the Hackman Consulting Group in 2005. 4 The group works with predominately white organizations and asks them, “Do you realize that you have white privilege? Do you know what white privilege is?” 5

Hackman Consulting Group teaches that “in order to end systems of racial dominance, we have to end whiteness. Period.” 6 Individuals and communities that “have been socialized as white” have been trained from birth to support racial dominance, according to the group’s website. 7

The California Teachers Association announced in June 2019 that Hackman was working with the teachers’ union on “racial equity work.” Hackman led the California Teachers Association’s board of directors and other “diverse leaders” through a four-day session. 8

Heather Hackman

Heather Hackman was a professor in the department of human relations and multicultural education at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota for 12 years before founding the company. 9

Hackman said at a 2016 conference that educators that weren’t willing to promote race-based ideology against white supremacy have no business in education. 10 She referred to white people who emphasize grades and other traditional educational policies as “Super Whitey” and compared them to the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings. 11

Hackman said the most common misunderstanding of racism is that it happens from person to person, and that it instead is “a huge system in operation.” 12 “White people stand safely on the shore and we shout, ‘Great tidings!’ to native people and people of color as they are rowing against the tide of racial oppression,” Hackman said in a video. 13

Hackman said “most white people” do want “racial justice” but only if their lives are undisturbed. She said one of the most powerful ideas she learned was that white people have a “buried notion” that if people of color gain real power in the U.S. it will “surely lead” to the annihilation of white people. 14

In 2016, Hackman spoke at the White Privilege Conference in Philadelphia and said that teachers should become activists against white supremacy. 15 Hackman said at the conference that requiring the use of grammatical English, arriving on time to class, and grading systems are a symptoms of white supremacy. Hackman said those traits could be considered positive but were specific cultural traits that favor whites over non-white groups. 16

Hackman said at the conference that while she was teaching at the college she let her students write their papers in non-standard English and foreign languages that she admitted she could not read. 17

Other Consultants

Maria Graver is an assistant principal at St. Paul Public Schools. 18 In 2020, after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis Police Department officer, Graver signed a letter stating that the “institution of education” was responsible for Floyd’s death because “84 percent of educators are white people” and “most of whom are not aware of the reality of white supremacy” and how it affects their students. 19

In a 2014 blog post, Graver stated that “people of color have to be noticeably brighter than our white peers … nearly all the time” to be perceived as intelligent. Graver wrote that intelligent people of color are ignored and replaced by media-generated stereotypes of people of color as “criminal, oversexed, violent, deviant, unclean, drug-selling, drug-using, alcoholic, bilking the welfare system.” 20

Jorge Zeballos was the “chief equity and inclusion officer” at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan when in December 2019 he posted a photo of himself holding a sign with obscenities directed at President Donald Trump and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). 21 After criticism, Zeballos apologized for the post and Kellogg Community College eliminated Zeballos’ position as chief equity and inclusion officer in February 2020. 22

References

  1. Hackman Consulting Group website. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/skindeep/
  2. “More Than Skin Deep: Uprooting White Privilege And White Supremacy One Cell At A Time.” Hackman Consulting Group. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/skindeep/
  3. “Racial Equity: A Critical Lens.” California Educator. June 18, 2019. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://www.cta.org/educator/posts/a-critical-lens
  4. [1] “Heather Hackman.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-hackman-81a0329/
  5. Carleton College Religions In Minnesota Project. Accessed Nov. 26, 2021. https://religionsmn.carleton.edu/exhibits/show/religionsmn/religious-diversity-in-minneso/projecthistory
  6. “More Than Skin Deep: Uprooting White Privilege And White Supremacy One Cell At A Time.” Hackman Consulting Group. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/skindeep/
  7. “More Than Skin Deep: Uprooting White Privilege And White Supremacy One Cell At A Time.” Hackman Consulting Group. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/skindeep/
  8. “Racial Equity: A Critical Lens.” California Educator. June 18, 2019. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://www.cta.org/educator/posts/a-critical-lens
  9. Hackman Consulting Group. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/about/who-we-are/
  10. Blake Neff. “Professional Educator: Grades, Showing Up On Time Are A Form Of White Supremacy.” The Daily Caller. April 16, 2016. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://dailycaller.com/2016/04/16/professional-educator-grades-showing-up-on-time-are-a-form-of-white-supremacy/
  11. Blake Neff. “Professional Educator: Grades, Showing Up On Time Are A Form Of White Supremacy.” The Daily Caller. April 16, 2016. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://dailycaller.com/2016/04/16/professional-educator-grades-showing-up-on-time-are-a-form-of-white-supremacy/
  12. Allison Hatfield. “Leaders In Dallas And Beyond Provide Concrete Direction On Addressing Racial Inequity In America.” Dallas Morning News. June 12, 2020. Accessed Nov. 26, 2021. https://www.dallasnews.com/fwddfw/2020/06/12/leaders-in-dallas-and-beyond-provide-concrete-direction-on-addressing-racial-inequity-in-america/
  13. “Overcoming Racism 2015 Conference Keynote Address.” Hackman Consulting Group. Dec. 8, 2015. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/resources/video-audio/overcoming-racism-2015-conference-keynote-address/
  14. “Overcoming Racism 2015 Conference Keynote Address.” Hackman Consulting Group. Dec. 8, 2015. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/resources/video-audio/overcoming-racism-2015-conference-keynote-address/
  15. [1] Dave Huber. “Teaching Consultant: Being On Time, Giving Grades Are Forms Of ‘White Supremacy.’” April 17, 2016. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://www.thecollegefix.com/teaching-consultant-time-giving-grades-forms-white-supremacy/
  16. Blake Neff. “Professional Educator: Grades, Showing Up On Time Are A Form Of White Supremacy.” The Daily Caller. April 16, 2016. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://dailycaller.com/2016/04/16/professional-educator-grades-showing-up-on-time-are-a-form-of-white-supremacy/
  17. Blake Neff. “Professional Educator: Grades, Showing Up On Time Are A Form Of White Supremacy.” The Daily Caller. April 16, 2016. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. https://dailycaller.com/2016/04/16/professional-educator-grades-showing-up-on-time-are-a-form-of-white-supremacy/
  18. “Maria Graver.” LinkedIn.com. Accessed Nov. 28, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-graver-10b65a17b/
  19. “A Field Guide For Developing Race Consciousness.” Principal Leadership For Racial Equality. Accessed Nov. 29, 2021. file://newhayek/Users/Gantert/Downloads/ebin.pub_principal-leadership-for-racial-equity-a-field-guide-for-developing-race-consciousness-1071803824-9781071803820.pdf
  20. Maria Graver. “Guest Blog: The Belief Gap.” Hackman Consulting Group. Dec. 17, 2014. Accessed Nov. 28, 2021. https://hackmanconsultinggroup.org/blog/guest-blog-the-belief-gap/
  21. Nick Buckley. “Kellogg Community College Eliminates Administrator’s Job In Wake Of Trump Protest.” Battle Creek Enquirer. Feb. 19, 2020. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/2020/02/19/kellogg-community-college-kcc-ousts-chief-equity-and-inclusion-officer-wake-trump-protest-sign/4805452002/
  22. Nick Buckley. “Kellogg Community College Eliminates Administrator’s Job In Wake Of Trump Protest.” Battle Creek Enquirer. Feb. 19, 2020. Accessed Nov. 27, 2021. https://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/2020/02/19/kellogg-community-college-kcc-ousts-chief-equity-and-inclusion-officer-wake-trump-protest-sign/4805452002/
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