Educational activist organizations, many of which have a clear political agenda, are continuously designing curriculum and so-called “teacher resources” for K-12 schools. How much of this material, if any, should be used by teachers in American classrooms, and is it promoting the kinds of holistic instructional approaches we need in 21st century America? This video analyzes one group in particular, an organization called BARWE, which stands for Building Anti-Racist White Educators. Thanks for watching.
Review: Robin DiAngelo’s ‘Nice Racism’
This is my review of Robin DiAngelo’s new book, Nice Racism: How Progressive White People Perpetuate Racial Harm, which I recently published in Merion West.
To purchase my book, Exploring White Fragility: Debating the Effects of Whiteness Studies on America’s Schools, which provides an in depth critique of DiAngelo’s work as well as critical whiteness studies as a whole, click here. Thanks for watching.
America First Legal Demands CRT Documents from Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
On July 13, American First Legal filed an open records request with the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District requesting all records, documents, and communications relating to the development and implementation of Critical Race Theory curriculum between the Pacific Education Group and the School District.
According to the AFL:
Despite repeated requests from parents and concerned citizens, the school district, in violation of both state and federal law, has refused to disclose the extent of its relationship with Pacific Education Group—a radical organization pushing Critical Race Theory on our children—or the curriculum itself.
Federal law mandates that parents have the right to access and review curriculum being taught to their children. The right of parents in this regard is sacrosanct. AFL is proud to defend parents and children against CRT indoctrination and extreme-left school boards who refuse to comply with the law.
AFL President Stephen Miller issued the following statement:
AFL is committed to defeating the illegal equity agenda and the poisonous ideology driving it: Critical Race Theory. In that mission, AFL is standing up for parents who are trying to save their children from racist CRT indoctrination.
One such group of Pennsylvania parents is courageously fighting back. The Tredyffrin-Easttown School District has publicly admitted to applying the odious CRT framework on its captive students. These parents have demanded to see the lesson plans and teaching materials being used in the classroom, weaponized against their own children—but the school, in defiance of both state and federal law, has refused to comply. In effect, it’s a cover-up. AFL has therefore formally filed a request, pursuant to Pennsylvania’s open records law, to obtain the records. If the school rejects the request in further violation of law, then we will take them to court and pry loose these records for all parents and all citizens to see. AFL will use every lawful remedy at our disposal to protect our children from Critical Race Theory. And we will proudly support the patriotic moms and dads stepping up as parent warriors to protect America’s kids from this racist indoctrination.
Read the full records request here.
Read the full written request here.
Ibram X. Kendi Gaslights Teachers at AFT Conference
Anti-racist educator Ibram X. Kendi recently headlined the American Federation of Teachers’ TEACH 21 Conference, speaking at a livestream session titled, “A Conversation with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi.” The official AFT conference agenda stated, “Hear from Dr. Ibram X. Kendi in this free-ranging discussion with student activists and AFT members on his scholarship and on developing anti-racist mindsets and actions inside and outside classrooms.”
During the livestream, which has not been posted on the AFT website, Dr. Kendi compared those who oppose critical race theory to Southern segregationists from the 1950s. According to an article titled “Anti-racist education benefits all of us” published on the AFT’s website:
Ingram asked Kendi about the furor over critical race theory and related pushes against teaching about enslavement and discrimination. Kendi compared it to the reaction to Brown v. Board of Education, when some white people were fearful that desegregated schools—and the Black children in them—were going to be harmful to their children. Today’s fears are similar in that misinformation is being spread about potential harms; one bold lie is that teaching about racism conveys to white children that they are inherently evil. Kendi was clear and compassionate: He does not know of any anti-racist teacher who would believe or convey that any child or group of people is inherently bad or racist.
But Dr. Kendi misrepresents the growing concern by parents, educators, and community members over the toxic and polarizing tenets of critical race theory, and falsely states that no anti-racist educator teaches that all whites are inherently racist; Robin DiAngelo, whose anti-racist approaches are embedded in K-12 curriculum in a number of school districts – and whose book White Fragility is on recommended reading lists across America – explicitly teaches just that.
Instead of disassociating with such polarizing tenets of anti-racism – which is an example of critical pedagogy under critical race theory – Kendi attempts to gaslight educators when it comes to remembering his own ideas, as well as the ideas of other anti-racists who use an identity-based model, which polarizes by skin color and offers little in terms of holistic, universal solutions to the real problems of racism and racial disparities today.
Individualism and Group Identity: A Conversation with Kyle Boyer
This is my conversation with Kyle Boyer, an educator, pastor, and member of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board. On June 14th, during the last TESD school board meeting of the school year, a dozen parents and community members challenged the school district’s equity initiative and use of critical pedagogy. After public comments were closed, Kyle addressed the meeting, calling the comments “hurtful and harmful,” and suggested what he witnessed helped explain why the Capitol was breached on January 6th.
I did a video analyzing the public comments and Kyle’s response, titled “Tredyffrin/Easttown Parents Compared to Capitol Rioters for Opposing CRT.” The following day, Kyle contacted me and we agreed to have a discussion about his comments and the school board meeting, as well as talk about broader topics such as racism, individualism, group identity, microaggressions, and other issues. This video is our conversation.
My Message to America’s Teachers’ Unions on Critical Race Theory
America’s two largest teachers’ unions, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association, have officially endorsed teaching critical Race Theory in K-12 classrooms, and are campaigning to push the use of critical pedagogy in lessons and activities in the name of social justice. Both the AFT and NEA misrepresent the concepts at the heart of CRT, and minimize the toxic approach as simply “teaching accurate history.” This is far from the reality of CRT, and this video attempts to clarify the issue by asking AFT President Randi Weingarten, and NEA President Becky Pringle, 10 questions about their support and endorsement of CRT.
Identity-Based Equality vs. Principle-Based Equality
This video compares two pathways to equality: one that is identity-based and endorsed by Ibram X. Kendi (critical race theory and anti-racism), and one that is principle-based and endorsed by Thomas Sowell (individual skill-building and universal values).
‘Not My Idea’: Toxic Children’s Book Teaches Whiteness is Evil
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness, by Anastasia Higginbotham, is a polarizing children’s book that teaches “whiteness is a bad deal,” and stereotypes police as racist killers. This book was used with children in the Evanston/Skokie School District in Chicago.
Inside Pennsbury’s Campaign to Silence Critics of Its Equity Policy
Pennsbury School District, located in Bucks County, PA, has been actively censoring and shutting down parents who disagree with their Educational Equity Policy at school board meetings, and has conspired to silence its critics. Simon Campbell, a Pennsbury School District resident, has been leading the charge to end the district’s bullying and intimidation.
Inside the CRT Ban in Iowa, and Why It’s Needed
Laws banning discriminatory CRT training in public agencies, such as Iowa’s HF 802, are not stopping educators from teaching about equity and racial justice, as many people are claiming. As HF 802 states:
Each agency, governmental entity, or governmental subdivision may continue training that fosters a workplace and learning environment that is respectful of all employees. However, the head of an agency, governmental entity, or governmental subdivision shall ensure that any mandatory staff training provided by an employee of an agency . . . does not teach, advocate, encourage, promote, or act upon stereotyping, scapegoating, or prejudice toward others on the basis of demographic group membership or identity.
Interestingly, the toxic CRT training in April of 2021 inside an Iowa school district is exactly why HF 802 is needed, as this video will detail.
Inside White Fragility 