SAU 16 spent part of a $20,000.00 grant to purchase books to assign middle school students. The book is called, This Book is Anti-Racist.
If you believe in equality for all you might think this is a good way to help students understand the evils of racism and how we can all work to become better people. Unfortunately, this book is full of propaganda aimed at blaming and shaming your children based on the color of their skin. That’s not progress, that’s harmful.
Let’s start by acknowledging the author Tiffany Jewell who is a Black biracial writer and AntiRacist Montessori educator and consultant. She spends her time dreaming up how she can dismantle white supremacy. The book offers some factual historical events but also her own personal journey that created her worldview.
Jewell’s worldview is based upon her upbringing living in a small house in New York State with her mom and twin sister. She describes herself as a black, biracial, cisgender, female who has brown eyes and a lot of freckles. She has curly hair which she grew to love.
A Call to Activism
When you begin reading the book, you can clearly see that this is a call to activism. She begins by letting the reader know that as she writes, the word “white” will be lower case, and those of different races, “black, brown and indigenous” people will be upper case. The tone is set, if you fall into the white category, you are to be shamed. Immediately, children will begin to identify if they are superior or inferior based on her worldview as it applies to race.
Some parents have commented that if their child reads this, they will be able to look past the indoctrination component. However, children are not monolithic. Some of them will internalize the propaganda and that could cause some students to feel inferior to their classmates born of a different race. This is why so many parents are speaking out. They don’t believe any race is superior to another, however, that is the subliminal message they receive just by opening up the cover.
On page five Jewell says, “We will work together together, in solidarity, to disrupt racism and become anti-racist accomplices.”
She goes on to say that an “Anti-racist person is someone who is opposed to racism. Anti-Racism is actively working against racism. It is making a commitment to resisting unjust laws, policies, and racist attitudes.”
There is certainly some common ground here. I think that we all stand together against racism, unjust laws, policies, and racist attitudes. But as you read further she focuses on identities and how you get to choose your own identity. She then takes those identities and puts them into two categories; the “dominant culture” which is described as normal, and the “subculture” which is everyone else who is described as victims.
The dominant culture is described as white, upper-middle-class, cisgender, male, educated, athletic, neurotypical, and able-bodied. If you don’t fit into this box you are in the “subordinate culture.” Subordinate culture is described as black, brown, indigenous people of color of the global majority, queer, transgender, nonbinary, cisgender women, youth, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, non-Christian, neurodiverse, those living with disabilities, or in poverty, and more.
If you happen to be in a subordinate culture, children may begin viewing themselves as abnormal, and inferior.
Those in the dominant culture are those in charge of the institutions and have established behaviors, values, and traditions that are considered acceptable and the “norm.”
What does this tell a boy who is white or white and Christian? A boy who is being taught by his Pastor that he is a child of God, superior to no one, is part of the human race, and that individuals need to be treated with dignity and respect? Jewell doesn’t address that.
What about the parents who are raising their children to follow the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. and judge people by their character and not the color of their skin? Jewell doesn’t even mention MLK Jr. in this book. The omission speaks volumes.
The author makes broad characterizations of these two groups of people without giving the individuals within these groups the respect of individualism. But that’s what Critical Race Theory is all about; it reduces people down to two categories- the oppressors and the oppressed.
There is blaming and shaming if you are in the dominant culture box. If you are in the subordinate culture box, you will be made to feel like you are a victim. That is something that many mothers may not want for their daughters. We’ve come a long way and the last thing they may want to hear is that their daughters are now put in a victim box. They want their daughters empowered, not to view themselves as victims. They’ve learned from the past and want their daughters to find those leaders in history who showed us all how to “overcome” barriers, obstacles and even the worst atrocities inflicted on people of color (POC).
For instance, Harriet Tubman is an American hero and an icon of freedom. What an amazing message to send to young ladies of color. Her story is inspirational and teaches children about courage and leadership. These are the kinds of stories that inspire young girls to develop empowering characteristics rather than feelings of inferiority and as victims. But that’s not part of the message in this book.
Parents who do not want their children to internalize this negative worldview, and are instilling values that teach their children to love, respect, empathize and care for their peers of a different color, should be respected. Jewell’s worldview can undermine their value system. What does that say about the leadership in your school district- that they would damage a child’s values? Values that include a child being raised to love, care, empathize and treat people of color (POC) with respect and dignity?
When the author describes intersectionality, she says that being a woman and black created greater disadvantages than just being a woman. The message again is, you are a victim instead of feeling empowered by your heritage and female traits. Many white females have dealt with self-doubt based on what they see from advertisers. Media giants have set the stage for beauty, and we are wise to look deeper than just appearances. Showing that beauty includes those who have inner beauty or those from other races and backgrounds.
That can certainly help younger girls to avoid comparing themselves to a person they can never look like. Many parents want their daughters to accept the skin they are in, and the hair color or texture they were born with. Sometimes it takes a while for girls to accept their body but that holds true for girls of all races. Jewell does finally find her appreciation for her own personal traits but the self-doubt she prescribes throughout the book comes straight out of the CRT handbook.
She does bring up moments in history that explain racism or inhumane treatment of blacks. This is information we all need to know. Again, the common ground that we all seek is factual historical information. Many of us understand the value of academic content as it applies to history. But something is missing in her story, and that is a focus on historical figures that had the courage to stand up and seek justice.
Children need to hear more about people of courage. Individuals who have a value system that allowed them to identify injustice and work towards a better union. If that is not a big part of the discussion, we are missing an opportunity to teach children how to show courage under fire. If they are not focused on forming their conscience to empathize, be kind, treat everyone with dignity, then what are they creating? Children who are treated in such a hostile and negative way through shame and blame, are not developing the characteristics that I believe most parents want.
Jewell is happy to explain that she was successful at changing your child’s worldview to one that has been described as militant, extreme, and even racist. She says, “You are now able to see the word in a way you didn’t always notice before. You are building a new lens to see yourself and the world around you.” When did you, as parents, decide you wanted your school district to change your child’s values? Especially if your values are grounded in love, acceptance, unity, and respect for others? Who assigned this task to the administrators in SAU16?
Here you will see a question from a parent (LIZ) in the SAU16 who asks Adam, a Social Studies teacher, “what are you doing to not make white males feel emasculated in this new…worldview? Because I have three sons and three brothers and I’m not ok with …we’re all bad. Right? So, black lives matter but whites don’t matter? So how are you addressing that in this new worldview?”
You can then listen to Adam’s answer which includes a statement that this is not about blame and shame.
That’s exactly what This Book Is Anti-Racist is all about!! It’s all about blame, shame, and victimhood. You do not know how each child will retain this worldview. I’m already hearing from parents who are shocked that their children are coming home making statements about self guilt, viewing their friends of a different race in a suspicious way, and other negative reactions that they are now internalizing.
Children are different. Who would feed this to children and expect the same outcome? Who would disrespect parents who are using another approach to raising their children- one that uplifts the child? One that is focused on treating other people with kindness and acceptance. This is creating division among children who are coming to school, raised in a loving home with a different worldview. The Social Studies teacher responded to this parent with Dr. Ryan, Superintendent in attendance.
Adam’s response to Liz conflicts with the materials they will be prescribing to the middle school students in this district. Is this purposeful deceit and misleading? I will let the parents decide.
There are biased political views included in this book. If the children haven’t heard enough political bias in the classroom, they will get more from reading this book. That’s called political indoctrination and is one of the driving forces for parents to remove their children from public schools which leads to defunding of public schools.
Jewell moves to colonizations. In this section, she adds her personal views on the environment by criticizing constant farming, building, and deforestation. She refers to colonizers stripping the earth of resources like gold, diamonds, and oil. Once again, there is no differing political viewpoint, just more political indoctrination.
This reminds me of the tweet by CRT guru Ibram X. Kendi when Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was up for nomination. Here is what he tweeted about her as a white mother adopting black children:
DANGER:
Finally, because this book is a call to activism, and not grounded in anything academic, Jewell advocates for what many will see as dangerous. She calls for your child, if they happen to see four police officers surrounding two black men, to engage the situation. She does preface it by telling your child to make sure they are safe, out of harm’s way, and to talk to a trusted adult before “taking action.” She then advises your child to walk over to the situation so they can stand witness, record what’s happening on their phone and if the officer asks them to stop, they do not have to comply. Many parents reading this may be horrified by that kind of a suggestion aimed towards children.
There is so much division in this school district right now. Division that was never there before. Parents may have shared different worldviews or political views, but they were a community. This administration and some serving on this school board, have not only failed the students and parents, they’ve divided the community.
This anti-Racist agenda put forward by the Superintendent is grounded in prejudice, a narrow worldview, extremism, self-hatred, division, labels, undermining parental authority, and racism. This is exactly why parents are standing up and refusing to allow their children to be taken in this direction.
They want their children to learn the history of racism, slavery, and every other atrocity that we all need to know. They want their children to be accepting, loving and kind. They may be enjoying watching their children grow up with a diverse group of friends. They have an appreciation for other cultures and diversity. They don’t want that destroyed by this worldview that ignores the peace and justice message from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Parents also want children to be corrected and face consequences when they are cruel and mean to other children. Start holding children accountable for their hate-filled words and actions, but do not destroy the good in children at the same time.
At what point will this administration and school board represent ALL parents and families? Unity begins with respect for all families, and that hasn’t been happening for a very long time. This is another example of that in SAU16.