King’s College London (KCL) is under fire for organising critical race theory-inspired “race-segregated” classes funded by the NHS, which critics warn risk creating exclusionary environments, stifling dialogue, and undermining the principles of equal participation and free speech.
Promoted as sessions on “addressing whiteness,” the classes were initially advertised as aimed at those “identifying as white”. Following inquiries from The Sunday Telegraph, KCL amended its wording to state the sessions were open to all students.
The term ‘whiteness’ is frequently associated with critical race theory (CRT), a controversial academic framework that purports to examine how systemic racism is embedded in legal, cultural, and societal structures. In this context, whiteness refers not to individual identity but to what critical race theorists see as the societal privileges historically linked to being white. Critics argue that this framework risks dividing society into binary categories of oppressors and oppressed, assigning individuals their roles based on racial identity.
A source familiar with the classes suggested that whiteness was interpreted on the course as requiring white students to accept responsibility for colonialism and correct their ancestors’ mistakes, regardless of their personal backgrounds. The source further claimed that some students were left with the impression that white people, regardless of geographic or cultural origin, “do not have any culture and all white people are culturally indifferentiable”.
The initiative was also alleged to portray ethnic minorities as “victims of the system”, with some students reportedly finding this approach so alienating that it risked damaging relationships across racial lines.
In one session last summer, attendees were reportedly left feeling so ashamed of their race and Britain in general that, when asked, “What’s the best thing the UK has done?” there was a long, awkward pause before a British student sheepishly responded, “gravy”.
Prof Alan Smithers, director of education at the University of Buckingham, condemned the approach, describing it as “astonishing”. He warned that such initiatives could stifle the kind of free-flowing dialogue essential to university life.
“This is a very unfortunate example of a trend likely to do much more harm than good,” Prof Smithers said. “Universities should be the powerhouses of ideas. Why they are hooked on identity politics and segregating groups for discussion behind closed doors is beyond me.”
He added: “If they want to discuss race, it should be out in the open, where ideas can be challenged and debated freely. Instead, they are promoting division and suspicion between groups.”
Critics argue that by segmenting discussions into racial categories, the university risks fostering intellectual echo chambers, curtailing the robust exchange of ideas that is vital to higher education. These reflective sessions are part of KCL’s clinical psychology program and, according to the university, align with NHS England’s efforts to address diversity and equality in healthcare. A spokesperson for KCL defended the initiative, stating:
“These reflective sessions, which are open to all clinical psychology students [following an update prompted by recent scrutiny], form part of our commitment to NHS England and Health Education England’s action plans to improve equality in access to healthcare and support diversity in the workforce. The sessions are common across clinical psychology courses and were developed in response to trainee feedback.”
Despite this defence, the program has drawn broader criticism. Sir John Hayes MP, chairman of the Common Sense Group, called the initiative “outrageous” and “an extension of nonsense about white privilege and guilt.” Sir John has also pledged to write to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to request an investigation into the matter.
This is not the first time KCL has been accused of promoting racially exclusive activities.
In July 2023, the university’s Race Equality Network offered tai chi classes explicitly advertised as exclusively for individuals identifying as “Black, people of colour, or from the global majority”. The sessions were described as addressing “chronic stress experienced in the body as a result of racism and systemic oppression”. Participants were required to disclose their ethnicity to ensure compliance with the program’s criteria, which reflected CRT’s premise that individuals from the “oppressor” group – white people – do not and cannot experience racism.
KCL’s practices mirror a wider trend in British universities where CRT-derived training programs are being implemented in ways that risk creating exclusionary environments, restricting dialogue, and undermining the principles of equal participation and free speech. In 2023, the University of Cambridge proposed barring white working-class students from one of its postgraduate courses, only to reverse its position after public outcry. Similarly, in 2022, the University of Westminster’s students’ union barred white students from a Black History Month event.
