We believe all people are created equal, there are good and bad people in every race. What happened to learning about life lessons, courage, friendships, the injustice of the accusation and all types of discrimination within the context of To Kill a Mockingbird?
Here is a copy of a 10th grade English assignment at Grand Haven High School to go with the book To Kill a Mockingbird.
Prompt Options:
1. Although To Kill a Mockingbird was recently named America’s favorite novel by PBS’s Great American Read, it has increasingly come under fire as promoting both racist stereotypes when it comes to people of color as well as perpetuating the idea that Black people require “white saviors” to make progress. However, others consider it a useful text in promoting awareness of racial injustice. Which view do you find most accurate? Why?
2. To what degree and how does the book address current social justice issues? Explore one or more social justice issue and discuss solutions the novel offers. You should use at least one outside resource for data on today’s society.
3. How does the novel raise awareness and invite the reader to take action to address issues in our society? Consider the life lessons that Atticus teaches Jem and Scout. Identify at least one of those lessons and illustrate how the lesson could help with a current social justice problem and cite the novel and at least one other resource for support.
Resources to get you started:
· “I came to admire it for its clear-eyed depiction of American tribalism in its three major manifestations: race, class and region. Few contemporary literary American novels have such a sweep and fewer have the confidence to take on social issues in the way Harper Lee does… Lee refuses to hide behind aesthetics” – Chimamarda Ngazi Adichie
· “To Kill a Mockingbird” takes the subjects of growing up and stamping racism, and it combines them into one idea: that in order to truly grow up, we have to recognize that people – no matter their skin color – are still people. In the wise words of Scout, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” That accepting and unbiased thought are enough to make “To Kill a Mockingbird” a novel that deserves to be taught in every school around the country, now and for years to come. –Brynn Rova
· The lessons are presented in a seemingly effortless style, all the while tackling the complexity of race issues with startling clarity and a strong sense of reality. – Anne Maxwell
However:
· “It approaches racism from one direction – from an external, White outsider mentality… what’s lost in that is the focus on Black humanity and Black complexity.” – Geoffrey Glover
· “Harper Lee’s focus is purely white… one of the book’s central themes is that you need to walk around in someone else’s skin to understand them and Harper Lee doesn’t actually get under the skin of any of the black characters…” – Tanya Landman
· “What they found together was that in Mockingbird, “there is no space for Black humanity.” There is no value for Blackness. In a sense, in that book, Black lives don’t necessarily matter.” – DJ Cashmere
· “The black characters – Robinson and the family’s housekeeper, Calpurnia – are mostly there as figures onto which the white people around them can project various thoughts and feelings. They are narrative devices, not fully realized human beings.”—Roxane Gay
· “It is a myth, a lie that America tells itself that perpetuates racism. At best, (Atticus) was the least overtly racist person in a racist town. In reality, Atticus was an unwilling participant in the racial fight. He accepted the assignment not only to attempt to prevent a miscarriage of justice but to maintain the racial order in Macomb. – the Washington Post
This assignment is pure left-wing propaganda. It pushes the racist narrative and makes white people feel guilt for their whiteness. In fact, the last bullet point above calls Atticus a racist. That is CRT at its core.
These videos on “white saviors”, “white privilege”, and injustice were shown in conjunction with the assignment.
https://www.facebook.com/justin.wilford/videos/10111037308547016/?sfnsn=mo
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ucxvf
https://www.ted.com/talks/bryan_stevenson_we_need_to_talk_about_an_injustice/up-next
These videos can be difficult for adults to understand, but to children, they are indoctrination. I am saddened to see the narrative that is being pushed in the classroom and within this assignment. Learning accurate history is very important. Pushing CRT ideology is doing a disservice to our students and is dangerous for our society. This only serves to divide people.
If you are a GHAPS parent and critical race theory has been pushed on your child please share your story with us – jsn1984@protonmail.com – please provide as much information as possible such as school, grade, subject, lesson description or book title, and your issue. Thank you.