Faculty at a public high school in Illinois were forced to participate in a systemic racism training that discussed the widespread idea of “systemic racism,” and how it’s present in basically every area of life. On February 26, Naperville 203 Community Unit School District hosted this training, bringing in “anti racist” coach Dena Simmons as […]
Faculty at a public high school in Illinois were forced to participate in a systemic racism training that discussed the widespread idea of “systemic racism,” and how it's present in basically every area of life.
On February 26, Naperville 203 Community Unit School District hosted this training, bringing in “anti racist” coach Dena Simmons as the headliner. The training featured 10 speakers, who lectured on “equity and inclusion” practices for “marginalized and/or underrepresented students,” as well as implicit bias and microaggressions, The Federalist reports.
To no surprise, the teachers were instructed that the education system “is based on a foundation of whiteness” and that Americans “are spiritually murdering” students.
Simmons also reportedly told participants that if you are not an “anti racist” you are a racist, even if you believe “you are treating people with respect.”
“At one point she was even talking about how snow removal is affected by systemic racism,” a whistleblower said to The Federalist. “She totally lost me on that one. I even texted that to my [partner.]”
“It’s almost time for an amazing day of learning in @Naperville203! So excited for our lineup, discussions, reflections and ACTIONS that will make us better together,” the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction tweeted the morning of the training.
One slide shown during the seminar showed graphics of the inner workings of structural and institutional racism, and how it is embedded in housing, government, healthcare, education, employment, finance and criminal justice.
Another slide shows the distinction between “covert” and “overt” white supremacy. Under the “covert” category, you can find phrases like “Make America Great Again,” “don’t blame me I never owned slaves,” and the celebration of Columbus Day, just to name a few.
Following the seminar, teachers received an email with a link to the Intercultural Development Inventory Website, which has more resources to make anyone who isn’t a minority feel ashamed of their existence.
Also included in the email was a Google Drive link that contained documents used in the training. One was called “Leading for Racial Equity,” a glossary, of sorts, which defines terms like “white privilege,” “white fragility,” “whiteness” and “systemic racism.” It also argues that “reverse racism” does not exist and white people cannot be discriminated against.
Another document lays out the six steps to becoming “anti racist.”
The training comes as Illinois formally approved “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards.” Under these new rules, teachers are required to “embrace and encourage progressive viewpoints and perspectives” and “assess how their biases...affect...how they access tools to mitigate their own behavior (racism, sexism, homophobia, unearned privilege, Eurocentrism, etc.).”
The fact that they are requiring teachers to accept and project progressive views - and ultimately discourage any other views - is an abomination to the education system.
The new rules also include an article on “white fragility” and form the basis for training sessions, like the one discussed in this article, for teachers to “move past their whiteness.” Teachers are required to admit that there is systemic racism or that “there are systems in our society that create and reinforce inequities, thereby creating oppressive conditions.”
Teaching children that racism is present in every area of society is only going to encourage and further drive inequality. Indeed, it promotes the idea that racism is everywhere, therefore encouraging people to search for it in every part of their life. It serves as a way to continually structure and maintain inequality, while enabling radical racial identity politics.
