by Bruce LeVell
If there was any message that came out of the November 2021 elections that was loud and clear for everyone to hear, it was this one: school districts should stop indoctrinating children on their race politics. Well, evidently not everyone got that message yet.
Case in point: Farmington School District in Southeast Michigan, which recently sponsored a “21 Day Equity Challenge” targeting “adults in the Farmington/Farmington Hills community” — presumably, this primarily means teachers and administrators. While the program is ostensibly intended to facilitate a better understanding and appreciation of “the very diverse population within our own community,” the content is loaded with political messaging.
The reflection for Day 2, for instance, calls on participants to “acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional lands of the Potawatomi People – People of the Place of the Fire, and pay my respect to elders both past and present.”
On Day 7, they reflect on “Race and Class Privilege,” and on Day 8, participants are treated to a quote from Barack Obama defending the Marxist Black Lives Matter movement. On Day 9, the participants – who are, once again, most likely teachers – are taught that it is racist to expect “academic excellence” from Asian students.
The program continues to get more political as it goes along. On Day 11, the topic is “Wealth Inequality,” and Day 13 is dedicated to “Gender and Sexuality,” followed by “Ableism” on Day 14.
On Day 17, participants examine “Implicit Bias.” They are taught that “women, and others who are marginalized,” automatically have “less bias” than others.” The following day, Day 18, focuses on “Microaggressions,” which essentially refers to words and actions that are not actually rooted in hostility or bias, but might possibly make somebody, somewhere feel uncomfortable.
On Day 21, participants are told that it is now “time for some action.” And that’s where things get really political in the form of a “Personal Action Plan.”
Participants are encouraged to do things like “Donate to causes that support the Black LGBTQ+ community” and “Have conversations about media literacy with your children, and teach them how to identify racist imagery or content when they see it.”
Under a category called “Political Actions,” they are encouraged to vote for, campaign for, and donate money to “candidates who advocate for racial justice.” The same section recommends that they “Join a Black Lives Matter or an affiliated protest,” “Donate to bail efforts supporting people arrested for protesting against injustice,” and demand “anti-racist policies” from public officials.
The document also calls on participants to “Speak up when you witness racial microaggressions in the workplace,” which in this context amounts to teachers challenging students over behaviors they vaguely perceive to be rooted in bias. Even more troublingly, teachers are told to “commit to challenging narratives that center the lives of cops, normalize/justify their use of force, present cops as having an infallible moral compass, and dehumanize ‘criminals.’”
Once you take the time to review the content, Farmington School District’s “21 Day Equity Challenge” clearly has very little to do with helping teachers better serve minority students, and everything to do with pushing a radical, divisive political agenda.
It’s worth noting that Farmington, Michigan is overwhelmingly white – about 63 percent – and decidedly upper-middle-class, with a median household income of over $100,000. That means teachers and administrators in the Farmington School District are being encouraged to demonize and marginalize an outright majority of their students, while teaching the rest of their students to view themselves as oppressed victims.
This is what conservatives mean when they talk about Critical Race Theory (CRT) infiltrating the public school system. Public schools should not be using their resources to promote this sort of material, which only takes us further from achieving the goal of racial equality and social harmony. Parents need to take a stand against administrators using public resources to promote their own personal political agendas.
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Bruce LeVell is a longtime Advisor & Appointee to President Donald J Trump, a Former Trump Campaign 2016 & 2020 Senior Advisor, and a retail jewelry manufacturer owner.
