Roy Exum
Several weeks ago, I must admit I had never heard of Patrick Hampton, an African American who has just joined a promising conservative think talk not-for-profit group known as Hamilton Flourishing. Headed by longtime executive and dream-maker Doug Daugherty, the group is in the perfect position to make a lasting impact on our all-inclusive community.
Patrick Hampton made a huge contribution Friday a week ago when he exposed the racist filth that certain members of the Hamilton County Department of Education were “so excited” to present to the white teachers there.
The performance was so dreadful – and flat-out wrong – it has since been billowed into the national news, teacher morale has never been as low when Johnson created 181 jobs – most not in classrooms, mind you—and financed his 181-person hiring spree with the very same budget that meant far more to teachers who had expected and deserved substantial raises.
This, I believe, was well-planned and purposeful.
You may remember The Tennessee Star, a web newspaper out of Nashville, has been shocked at Johnson’s actions.
Last week The Tennessee Star, on three consecutive days, had investigative reporter Chris Butler write three articles on the myth of ‘White Privilege.” Here are excerpts from each:
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EXCERPT -- BLACK CONSERVATIVE IN CHATTANOOGA WARNS ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ TRAINING CREATES EXTERNAL VICTIMHOOD, EXPERT SAYS
(These are excerpts of a story that appeared in “The Tennessee Star” on Thursday, April 14, 2019. The story was written by the website’s investigative reporter, Chris Butler (
chrisbutlerjournalist@gmail.com)
“An African American Chattanooga man who opposes “white privilege” training in the Hamilton County School System is getting pelted with criticism not only from fellow blacks but from The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Patrick Hampton, vice president of Hamilton Flourishing, says the theory of “white privilege” cripples blacks, forces them to accept self-defeat, and does nothing to make them realize their fullest potential in life.
Hampton gathered screenshots of this “white privilege” training and sent them to the media. These screenshots infuriated the public.
This theory, Hampton went on to say, divides people and does not produce positive outcomes.
“It is basically saying achievement equals white privilege, and any white person who achieves anything of significance or success or financial wealth only got it because of white privilege,” Hampton told The Tennessee Star Tuesday.
Hampton said he grew up in an inner-city neighborhood. He said he learned to reject the theory of “white privilege.”
“If I achieve something then I wouldn’t want anyone to put that on my skin tone. It is hard work. A lot of the people I know who have a lot of wealth work really hard for it,” Hampton said.
“What it does is it creates what I call ‘an eternal victimhood in the black community,’ where anytime anyone does anything of success you just blame it on privilege and then you’re a victim. I think this is what’s killing young people wanting to be successful in the black community.”
Hampton said a black-owned newspaper in Chattanooga is out to discredit him. Other blacks, meanwhile, call him, among other pejoratives, “an Uncle Tom” and “a sellout.”
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EXCERPT -- TENNESSEE’S ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ TRAINING WORSENS RACE RELATIONS, ACCORDING TO EXPERT
(These are excerpts of a story that appeared in “The Tennessee Star” on Friday, August
14, 2019. The story was written by the website’s investigative reporter, Chris Butler (
chrisbutlerjournalist@gmail.com)
“The concept of “white privilege,” as taught recently to teachers in Hamilton and Williamson counties, ultimately creates a culture of low expectations for black children and makes those same children bitter toward their white teachers.
This, according to Patrick Hampton, an African-American Chattanooga man, who opposes this type of in-service teacher training.
Yet the opinion writers of The Chattanooga Times Free Press are unhappy with Hampton and have called him out. They seem to blame “white privilege” for the Hamilton County School System’s low academic scores.
But Hampton, who was a teacher, said he witnessed things the paper’s opinion writers failed to document.
“Teachers that are in the school system for a long time become numb to the culture of low expectation and failure. I always refused to become numb, and administrators hated me for that. Many say ‘Well, the kids are not going to get any better. I need my job. Let’s just make it through the year,'” Hampton told The Tennessee Star this week.
“This attitude and culture creates a system that promotes kids through grades who can’t read, can’t properly write a sentence or send an email. All teachers know this, but for the sake of keeping their job they will not shake the wagon or blow the whistle. There is simply a code of silence.”
As reported, Hamilton County School Board members are unlikely to hold anyone in the school system accountable for the “white privilege” training, done as part of a state-funded Adverse Childhood Experiences curriculum.
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EXCERPT -- TENNESSEE EDUCATORS SHOULD BALANCE OUT ‘WHITE PRIVILEGE’ CURRICULUM WITH OPPOSING VIEWPOINT, EXPERT SAYS
(These are excerpts of a story that appeared in “The Tennessee Star” on Saturday, August 16, 2019. The story was written by the website’s investigative reporter, Chris Butler (chrisbutlerjournalist@gmail.com..)
“If you’re going to make Tennessee’s public-school teachers learn about “white privilege” then, for balance, you ought to instruct them on the opposing point of view.
Specifically, you should tell them “white privilege” is not so much settled science as much as it is an academic theory — and then talk about what’s wrong with it.
This, according to two Tennessee residents from separate corners of the state who have spoken out against teachers in their respective districts getting In-service teacher training on this subject.
“It (“white privilege”) is a theory, and it’s rooted in critical race theory coming from a lot of our universities and professors,” said Patrick Hampton, an African-American Chattanooga man, who, as reported, has taken a lot of flak for speaking out.
“I believe there needs to be a conversation had. If you say white privilege exists and white people have privilege, then show me where because of a person’s skin tone they are privileged. They can’t do that. There should at least be a discussion about it.”
Stefanie Rose Miles, who recently created the Facebook group “WSC TN Parents Wants Facts” to counter “white privilege” training of teachers in the Williamson County School System, spoke more forcefully.
“If school officials insist upon teaching it then they definitely need to offer the opposing view or the negations of the theory. But I would think that such a false theory and a damaging theory ought not be taught. In my opinion, they don’t lay it all out there,” Miles told The Tennessee Star.
“They do it in stages. They (eventually) get you to the point where they want you to believe that white people are racist because they are merely born white. And they don’t come out with that bold of a statement (at first) because they know people wouldn’t buy into it that quickly because it is too off the wall.”
Members of the Hamilton and Williamson county school boards, some of whom have previously defended “white privilege” training, did not return requests for comment.
Hampton said “white privilege” ultimately creates a culture of low expectations for black children and makes those same children bitter toward their white teachers. He also said “white privilege” cripples blacks, forces them to accept self-defeat, and does nothing to make them realize their fullest potential in life.
In the same interview he said, “In other words, it compels people to believe well-intentioned white people still participate in a racist system, Hampton said.
“Think about how this belief system affects the psyche of a student. A student will enter into the classroom and not only will they dislike the teacher, but now they will buy into the belief that this teacher is a part of a bigger racist system that’s against them always wanting them to fail. Now the student is prejudging the teacher solely based on her color which is racist in and of itself,” Hampton said.
“This creates a culture of animosity to the point kids can’t learn because they have this preconceived notion that all white people, including the one paid to educate, are racist because they participate in this racist educational structure. It will make things worse and actually sets us back to the 1950s and 60s when people were segregated and hated each other based on color.”
As reported, Hampton gathered screenshots of the “white privilege” training in Hamilton County and sent them to the media. These screenshots infuriated the public.
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SINCE I DISCOVERED a relatively new-website in Tennessee, aptly named “The Tennessee Star,” I have recommended it to a good handful of friends who have added it to their news websites. The Tennessee Star” was created in 2017 by an author and evangelist. To receive email (for free) go to the Tennessee Star website, click the “about us” prompt, and simply enter your name and email address;
royexum@aol.com