Ancient Greek and Roman literature, history, and philosophy have long been recognized as foundational to Western civilization. Accordingly, Classics—the academic discipline that studies classical antiquity—has historically occupied a prominent place in many universities.

But Princeton Classics professor Dan-el Padilla Peralta and others allege that Classics has also played a foundational role in the creation of “whiteness” and it continues to perpetuate white supremacy and oppression. As a result, they argue, Classics must be either thoroughly reformed or eliminated altogether.