If you are unclear about the theoretical background to the increasing discussion of "whiteness" in American higher education--perhaps even a little put off by it, or defensive about it (which has happened to a lot of white people I know, myself very much included), this piece may help you think about this in a new light, in part by framing the discussion around the current controversy around the New York Times's "1619 Project".  The below is a taste of what I mean:

“All ethnic identities may be social fictions, but some fictions are more pernicious than others. In the U.S., white identity is only coherent when defined in opposition to a nonwhite other. Latinos may one day assimilate into whiteness. But the day that dark-skinned African-Americans are admitted into America’s dominant ethnic identity will be the day that white ceases to be the name of that identity. Which is to say: There is no whiteness without blackness.”

I recommend it--very good in itself, and very good for helping you understand a lot of things these days.