BU Audit Clears Ibram X. Kendi's Antiracist Center of Financial Mismanagement Claims

BU Center for Antiracist Research to switch to fellowship model following audit results, amid ongoing probe into grant management and workplace culture.

An audit from Boston University has cleared Ibram X. Kendi's antiracist center of financial mismanagement claims. The Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, founded by Kendi in 2020, had been under scrutiny following allegations made after the center laid off about half of its staff.
Despite the layoffs, the university's chief financial officer confirmed that the antiracist center's financial management of its grants and gifts was appropriate. The center has successfully raised over $50 million since its inception, $30 million of which has been put into an endowment.
The audit results have led the Center for Antiracist Research to switch to a fellowship model. It will now focus on hosting scholars for nine-month fellowships and public events, as opposed to conducting research with its own employees.
The university's probe into the center's activities continues, concentrating on other aspects like grant management practices and workplace culture. In aid of this, the university has contracted the consulting firm Korn Ferry to examine the center’s management style and workplace environment.
Some planned initiatives of the center, such as creating a graduate program and undergraduate minor in antiracist studies, and collating a database of ongoing antiracist campaigns, won’t be completed. However, existing projects like The Emancipator publication and COVID-19 related research will continue.