The US Department of Energy (DoE) has ordered the National Nuclear Security Administration and the agency's inspector general to carry out independent probes after it was reported that the Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), which works under its jurisdiction, had arbitrarily organised mandatory "social workshops" for all white male executives. The DoE said it was unaware of such training taking place and vowed to review the SNL's activities to ensure that all employees and contractors receive "equal treatment".
"The Department of Energy (DOE) leadership did not have knowledge of or authorize the use of taxpayer dollars for the reported social workshops at the Sandia National Laboratories, or elsewhere", the department stated.
Divisive 'Re-Education Camp'
According to author and researcher Christopher Rufom, who first exposed the phenomenon, the SNL, whose work is related to national security, essentially organised "re-education camps" to allegedly fight "racism, sexism, and homophobia" among a specific social group – white males. The organisers of the workshop promised to expose "white privilege" to the attendees, the author added.
The workshop trainers made the attendees go through a series of sessions, Rufom revealed. One of them was making a list of associations about white male culture with terms "white supremacists", "KKK", "MAGA hat", "Founding Fathers", and "mass killings" written as examples, the author said, providing photo evidence allegedly from the event. The organisers reportedly went on to "explain" to the executives how they were exercising their "privilege" as white heterosexual males and how their actions could be "devastating" to women and people of colour.
According to Rufom, the workshop concluded with the attendees writing an "apology" for allegedly exercising their "privilege" and promising to change their behaviour, apparently regardless of how they actually behaved prior to attending the event. His revelation comes as American society is experiencing continuing racial tensions, which boiled over into mass protests this summer, along with a surge in social justice movements and a rampant "cancel culture".