In February 2021, after the GHAPS Director of Instructional Services Mary Jane Evink explained that GHAPS does not teach Critical Race Theory, she sent the following email to three ELA (English Language Arts) teachers at Lakeshore Middle School to help them plan a narrative non-fiction unit for 12-14 year old students. In the email she states that she, “consulted an ELA teacher who once taught a class called Black Lives Matter”. This is followed with three recommended resources.
The first resource, The Racial Wealth Gap Explained, is the video below.
The video begins with images of confederate American money that contains pictures of slaves, and continues displaying unjust treatment black people suffered during America’s past. Around the 1-minute mark a commentator states, “Wealth is where past injustices breed present suffering.” The video then begins comparing economic status of black versus white people. The video continues building the argument that black people in America are currently oppressed by white people in America by explaining that the injustices of the past are still widespread and present today. Near the end, arguments are even made in favor of providing payments to black people whose ancestors may have suffered injustices from white people whose ancestors may have been unjust. In under 2-minutes, this video establishes a link between skin-color, wealth, and injustice which happened in the past without acknowledging changes that have since occurred.
The second resource recommended in the email, Systemic Racism Explained, is included below.
This video states that America has a history of systemic racism which still exists today. It argues that Kevin a white child, and Jamal a black child, do not have the same opportunities for success. In addition, it argues that potential employers do not grant interviews to people with black sounding names and therefore, implicit bias is the reason unemployment is worse for black people. How does teaching children living in America ---that black people do not have any money, have always been and always will be oppressed by white people and the system, and will never improve their situation because potential employers will not even look at their resumes--- help any children?
The third resource, James Cordon’s Discussion, is a monolog on fat shaming.
While I don’t condone making people feel bad, it must be recognized that this video is another attempt at dividing society. People are being divided based on weight. The premise is that fat people are being oppressed by the rest of the population, and the lesson is that children need to become activists to fight for people that are oppressed.
These videos are being presented as fact and shown in such a way that they discourage further research. What these videos do not show is success in America. America is the land of opportunity. There is plenty of data showing black immigrants have had an abundance of success. How are people from other countries with foreign-sounding names getting interviews and achieving? Perhaps it is because they have not adopted the belief that the government is responsible for their well-being? Perhaps they understand the value of independence, are willing to adapt, and work hard for success?
Presenting these videos to our children as fact is another example of the erosion of our educational system. Research skills are being neglected. These lessons are teaching kids not to research and teaching kids what to think. That is indoctrination.