"Absolutely ridiculous": Lois Banner Berkshire conference controversy explained as professor garners backlash for Black woman comment

Lois Banner, a prominent white professor, has come under fire after she delivered an alleged racist remark at the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians held at California’s Santa Clara University on Friday, June 30.

Lois, an honorable Women’s History professor at the University of Southern California, reportedly said that her career would have been more successful had she been Black and lesbian. The conference attendees identified the professor as Lois Banner from an interview regarding her book on Marilyn Monroe.

The 84-year-old retired professor reportedly said she wished she was a lesbian as they are good at building and organizing communities. When someone from the audience reportedly called Lois out for her racist remarks, the professor refused to apologize and was reluctant to listen to why her comments were wrong. She responded to the call-out by saying that she would not change her mind.

Netizens on social media have strongly criticized the professor. Stephanie Narrow, a student pursuing her Ph.D. in History, who attended the conference on Friday, made a thread of tweets on the matter on July 1. One Twitter user, @YupanotherMaria, commented and said called the situation "ridiculous."

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Professor Lois Banner garners backlash for Black Woman comment

People who attended the Berkshire conference were also infuriated at Lois’ alleged comment about wishing she was a Black woman. Many spoke about how her remark disregarded the discrimination faced by Black women in the academic world.

The conference also tweeted that their officers did not support the inappropriate remarks that one of the speakers made and promised to issue a formal statement. Several people chastised the organization for not taking Lois Banner’s name directly in the tweet or making a somewhat forceful condemnation.

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Other guests and speakers at the Berkshire conference condemned Lois Banner's comments

Lois’ controversial speech came after Deborah Gray White, another prominent professor of Gender and Women’s studies at Rutgers University, had spoken on racism and exclusion faced by many Black women scholars.

Florida State University’s Paul Renfro said that Lois Banner started rambling even before she spoke about her desire to be dark-skinned. Renfro called it very problematic.

“And so when that happened, the awkward, sort of strange response that many in the audience had to the remarks that came before kind of mutated into almost sort of just complete discomfort and revulsion. Some people gasped audibly, and some people began to walk out,” he said.

Renfro added that after Lois’ comment, people of color started walking out of the conference.

After Lois Banner’s speech, Deirdre Cooper Owens, a Black professor at the University of Nebraska, stepped up on the podium and denounced the former’s remarks.

Cooper Owens also took to Twitter and said that the Berkshire conference was a beautiful event until Lois’ hateful and racist comments tainted it. Owens also addressed her counter-remark and said Lois should not have dragged Black women’s names into this.

Deirdre Cooper Owens continued that she urgently needed the audience present at the conference to acknowledge Deborah Gray White’s brilliance, bravery, and strength. She called Lois a “bigoted racist,” adding that she refused to let her take away from White’s powerful speech that spoke truths.