This morning a tip came across my desk about yet another school being hastily renamed, this time in Anne Arundel County, MD.  <a href="https://www.aacps.org/Page/3809">George Fox Middle School</a>, located in Pasadena MD, has stood for 72 years. Its namesake, George Fox, served as superintendent of the district between 1916 and 1946. According to a release from the school, a decision was made on March 17th to rename the school due to concern about comments attributed to Fox during a <a href="https://www.capitalgazette.com/education/ac-cn-maryland-school-racism-renaming-20210319-kuy4sbcdrzcufpljxb7jyd4s7y-story.html">1939 court case</a>. Fox, the records show, opposed equal pay for black and white teachers, even as other surrounding districts abandoned their policy of separate pay scales for black and white teachers. 
Concerns about Fox’s comments first surfaced in July of 2020 when community members first approached the board about a name change, at which time a panel was put in place to discuss the possibility. The district plans to hold a community vote on name options in mid-April. 
Stories like this pose a genuine ethical challenge for conservatives. Absent the vat of acidic wokeness that we are all currently marinating in, many of us would be sympathetic to the name change in this particular case, even if we ourselves have deep reservations about name-changing in general. The namesake, in this case, does not appear to have a tremendously meaningful legacy to present day students which might outweigh his moral foibles, and the grievance itself is not insignificant. Further, it appears the district has approached this situation with at least slightly more temperance than we’ve seen thus far from many other districts, taking at least 8 months to contemplate the decision. Under different circumstances, this name change would be relatively uncontroversial. Graceful even. 
And yet we bristle. For good reason.
Given the present context, that our society is perilously suspended in an acidic goo that ravenously erodes all relics of the past, name changes take on a new and urgent significance. In this gooey context, a name change of this nature, even with significant justification, cannot help but carry a certain cowardly stench; that of desperation, acquiescence, and shame. Like Lady Macbeth desperately washing her hands, a too-hasty rush to jettison our past seems to concede the toxic and insidious lie: that guilt by association (even an association as loose as preferring to keep the name of a 72-year-old school named after a flawed man) is morally legitimate. It is not. 
This particular case is morally complex. The name change, in one respect, represents a moral step forward. It affirms our deeply held beliefs in the equality and dignity of every human, something George Fox failed to do. However, the lingering sense that the name change may, in part, be spurred by goo-induced guilt and shame, represents a profound moral problem. In acquiescing to the corrosive environment, we end up, ironically, committing nearly the same crime as poor dead George Fox: being blindly or fearfully complicit in the immorality of our own age. George Fox was trapped in the hateful goo of his age, and likewise so are we. 
This time, however, the hateful goo we find ourselves suspended in is self-hate. Self hate, today, is as fashionable as anti-black hate was in George Fox’s day, and like all hate, it’s toxic. It manifests as the urge to hate our history, ourselves, and to hate others who happen to be born with the wrong skin color, all in pursuit of a perverse promise of redemption. Like all fashionable forms of hate, it masquerades as virtue. 
To acquiesce to this particular form of hate, through radical erasure of the past and demonization of those who revere it, is to deny the unifying complexity of humanity. We honor that complexity by acknowledging deeply that every one of us is a composite of good and evil, and that each of us is trapped, morally, in our own moment in time. To erase people like George Fox is to risk erasing that lesson. 
Ultimately, given the historical facts of which I am aware, I would, theoretically, support a name change for this particular school. Despite my distaste for re-naming things, this seems like a case where a more inspiring name may be suitable. However, I would only support it under the following careful considerations, which I do not believe are met. 
First, that no person in the school community should feel ashamed to voice their true opinion. Second, that legitimate and respectful consideration be given to the merits of keeping the name, including the 72-year legacy, as well as any relevant leadership contributions of the namesake. Third, that the ultimate decision as to whether to change the name, and what to, be made with grace, temperance, and be totally devoid of haste. In other words, I am open to, and eager even, for graceful moral progress in an open and tolerant society. However, I reject ersatz progress, coercively obtained, under a false moral banner. 
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Toxic Waste Containers

Renaming Schools: When The Right Decision Feels Toxic 

American History

Education

Race

This morning a tip came across my desk about yet another school being hastily renamed, this time in Anne Arundel County, MD.  George Fox Middle School,

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Evidence submitted to The Daily Wire by whistleblower teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) reveals how educators are being pressured into pushing critical race theory (CRT) in their classrooms.
The <a href="https://rumble.com/ve2wxb-vbcps-critical-race-theory.html">full video</a> course, titled “Advancing Equity Through Continuous Reflection: Self Assessment,” was used to train Language Arts teachers in Virginia Beach during the fall of 2020. While I recommend watching the full 22 minutes (as it is a revealing specimen of cult indoctrination propaganda), I’ve summarized it below, including my own commentary as a teacher who experienced radical CRT brainwashing early in my career. 
Over the course of the video you can see how teachers are primed to accept increasingly radical statements, how cult indoctrination techniques soften their psychological defenses and, finally, how induced insecurity is leveraged to guilt teachers into becoming radical activists in the classrooms and beyond. The culmination of the 22 minute course reveals a chilling guided activity in which teachers are literally asked to practice “confronting” their “racist” colleagues about offensive statements like “everyone is equal in my class.” It’s a wild ride. 
Right away, the facilitator in the upper right corner warns the teachers: “This work may not be turnkey, in fact it&#8217;s not even intended to be,” going on to vaguely assert “it is our work.” She then quickly reassures confused language arts teachers that “equity starts in literacy,” so this will allow us to “continue” with that focus. (“Equity” trainings are just a component of literacy trainings — it’s all the same, can’t you see?) That’s the last time we will hear about literacy. 
By the 5-minute mark, the facilitator introduces the real goal: “continuous reflection.” “Let’s go even deeper,” she says. “We need to critically self-assess through ongoing examination of our implicit and explicit biases.” Immediately recognizing this classic CRT indoctrination technique, a chill goes down my spine. 
Cults will often encourage members to mull over a topic continuously because doing so eventually muddies their convictions. Once a person is caught in a loop of self-doubt, they are malleable. Some religious cults, for example, will advise members to meditate on a doctrine “until they know that it is true.” While I don’t suspect that this facilitator is a cult mastermind, or even a Marxist scholar, it&#8217;s important to realize that cultish techniques can self-propagate within an ideological movement without any conscious intent on the part of participants. CRT relies heavily on this psychological phenomenon.
We are then told that recognizing bias is only the “first step.” Indeed we are at a “fork in the road;” we must start thinking about “action.” “So,” she asks, “what are those actions we can take?”  
As we will soon learn — after we are prepped with a bit more brainwashing — “action” entails “conscious” racial bean-counting in all areas of life, as well as proactively interrogating ourselves and everyone around us for thoughtcrimes. 
She explains, “in our new work together” we will “talk about what we can do when, in conversations, these biases occur.” She lists a variety of biases, noting gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and others. However, today, we will “focus on race.” “This is our chance to really lean in and grapple with our discomfort” and “grapple with what that means to have a bias.”  
Another red flag! Back in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flp7gKg5G4E&amp;t=2041s">my Teach For America days</a> we used to joke about a drinking game where we drink whenever a higher-up tells us to “grapple.” This word is used all the time in CRT education trainings for a reason. The intention is to get teachers to uproot their moral foundations. If you have a strong conviction you are, by definition, failing to “grapple.” Thus, you must interrogate your own strong convictions until they feel shaky. 
Back to the video. The facilitator now attempts an amazing rhetorical sleight of hand: she offers a brand new definition of “bias.”
Bias, she claims, is the idea that “some ideas or people are better than others.” She speaks that line quickly, but it’s significant. To be clear, she is asserting that you are guilty of “bias” if you think some ideas are better than others. This has huge implications for what can be considered “racist” going forward in the context of this training and beyond. It also establishes a dangerous premise, that dissent to this ideology itself may be interpreted by others (including one’s employer) as a form of bias. 
Next we learn about the types of bias, including implicit bias, which she defined as “beliefs about others that are outside of our conscious awareness.” Implicit biases, she explains, play out in ways that are “hidden,” which presents a challenge: “how can we address those?” She does not even begin to address the even more fundamental question, which is why it is beneficial at all, and indeed not itself an act of bias, to interrogate others about biases that are both “unconscious” and “hidden.” It is in these moments we understand why this ideology must adopt seemingly nonsensical and blatantly racist premises such as “<a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article244309587.html">rational thought is white culture</a>.”
To answer this burning question, the facilitator then queues up a video titled “Racist? Not Racist? Anti Racist?” This is where things begin to get spicy. 
Predictably, it begins with the now familiar yet slippery claim that being “not racist” and being “anti-racist” are “two different things.” One of the first speakers asserts that “saying I’m not a racist” is like “witnessing someone being jumped” and simply standing by, saying “it wasn’t me,” whereas being an anti-racist is “speaking out” and “making sure it never happens again.” 
The gaslighting in this video is thick, which is why it is so subversive. The speakers are calm, likable, and appear earnest. However, their confidently asserted moral claims always contain shades of truth and falsity, which makes the viewer feel a distinct moral tension. The viewer, especially a white viewer, may feel simultaneously special (morally elevated even) in the moments in which they agree with the speaker, yet icky and shamed in the moments in which they’re not sure if they agree. The toxic mix of specialness and shame, tied to agreement and disagreement, makes the viewer insecure in their moral integrity, which leads them to crave the approval of the speaker, who now functions as a moral leader. 
Here’s an example of how that emotional tension builds: A pleasant young female speaker states, “when most people think racism..they think of the KKK, or they think of slavery,” a statement which, while spoken in a reasonable and earnest tone, is actually a subtle slander of our culture as a whole, and specifically of white viewers, the vast majority of whom fully comprehend that racism is both subtle and ubiquitous. However, she follows with a gentle and true statement that leaves many teachers bobbing their heads in agreement: “when that is your perception..it’s very easy to say ‘well I would never do that’&#8230;which is valid, but it&#8217;s more nuanced than that.” It’s subtle, but the speaker has just made two claims, one false, and one true, and packaged them as one; a rhetorical trojan horse. Craving her approval, the audience wills themselves to accept her claims in full. 
With her subtle comment about “most people,” the speaker is also beginning to gently draw the viewer into the toxic ‘us vs them’ mentality by setting up a dichotomy between the wise ‘anointed’ few vs the pitiful, bigoted masses. Out of intense desire to be one of the “good” white people, the teacher participant begins to actively override her doubts about the more questionable portion of the claim. This is CRT training in a nutshell. 
To black viewers the message is subtly different, but dovetails nicely with the Marxist goal of sowing mutual distrust. To them the speakers are saying this: “Most white people do not empathize with you. They are moral infants who oppress you through their ignorance, and your only option is to take on the weary task of attempting to educate them.” The message to black teachers is so utterly demoralizing that it’s a small miracle that any are able to emerge from these “anti-racism” trainings retaining any sense of shared humanity with their white colleagues. 
Next, a male speaker likens being “not racist” to bunting the ball in baseball, whereas being “anti-racist” is to try to hit a home run. At this point, the sales pitch for “anti-racism” is strong. It’s easy to forget, however, that we still haven’t been told which “actions” are actually entailed in “anti-racism.” It doesn&#8217;t matter. Many of the teachers are already sold. They want to hit a homerun, not just bunt.
At minute 9 we are introduced to an individual I’ll call “The Big Boss,” a bald middle-aged woman who speaks with magnetic authority. Her confidence imbues an air of “common sense” to assertions that are neither commonly held nor self evident. (Returning to the theme of cults, there is a reason why we almost always find a “charismatic leader” at the center. Psychologically, humans feel strongly compelled to trust leaders who speak with ringing confidence, no matter how radical their claims may be.) 
As if sensing the internal struggle that viewers are feeling, The Big Boss begins with some bold advice: “one of the most freeing things that any white person can do is to just say ‘of course I’m racist.’” 
Just give in! She is offering white teachers a chance to release the tension they are feeling, to reconcile the cognitive dissonance. For many, this advice, proffered at this moment, is highly seductive. 
She goes on to make an analogy between a baby raised in a French-speaking home and Americans raised in a racism-speaking society. “Our society speaks racism!” she proclaims, as if undisputed fact, “it has spoken racism since we were born,” so, “of course you are racist!” 
“The idea that this blanket of ideas has fallen on everyone&#8217;s head except for yours is magical thinking!” she exclaims, laughing robustly. 
Essentially, we are told, teachers are engaged in “magical thinking” if they disagree with any of her claims. They must be mentally unwell, illogical, or worse&#8230;racist.
Then things really go further off the rails. We get a flurry of questionable advice dressed up, as always, as pure common sense.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“This stuff will never change until people become comfortable with having these uncomfortable conversations. You have to do it.” (Endlessly?) </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“Having these conversations” with “family members” who harbor “toxic beliefs about black people” is “the difference between non racist and anti-racist.” (Got that? You must actively identify racism in family members and confront it.) </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">“To do nothing is to affirm the status quo of some bodies being afforded resources, access, opportunities and other bodies being literally killed.” (Do you understand? Literal blood is on your hands!)</li>
</ul>
It’s at this point that The Big Boss goes in for the kill shot. “If you really are a person who says I believe everyone is equal”, then ask yourself, “is your bookshelf equal? Are the restaurants that you go to equal? Are the physicians and professionals that you hire in your life equal? Is your social media feed equal?” In an emotional grand finale, The Big Boss lays out the CRT path to redemption: obsessive, evangelical, and perpetual racial bean-counting in all aspects of life. Color consciousness, she preaches, “is how we start to change things.”
We return to the powerpoint with the facilitator in the upper right. Teachers are asked to reflect. An &#8220;antiracism&#8221; <a href="https://www.lewiscountyuw.com/equity-diversity-and-inclusion">chart</a>, attributed to Ibram X Kendi, graces the screen. The chart includes concentric circles labeled “fear,” “learning,” and “growth,” with phrases in each, including “I am vulnerable about my biases and knowledge gaps,” “I sit with my discomfort,” and “I yield positions of power to those otherwise marginalized,” etc. Teachers are given several minutes of silence to reflect where they are in “the work.”
Finally, time for an “activity.” After learning some “professional” phrases for “confronting” colleagues about their racism, the teachers have a chance to roleplay in small groups. They will practice responding to common “racist” comments they may hear in educational settings, including (and no, this is not a joke), “in my classroom everyone is equal.” The presentation concludes and participants are released to perform “anti-racism” in front of their peers and their watchful employer. 
I experienced similar subversion first-hand ten years ago while participating in a program called <a href="https://www.teachforamerica.org/">Teach For America</a> (an experience I’ve addressed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flp7gKg5G4E&amp;t=2028s">online</a>, and which I’ll share in more detail in the future). I can personally attest that the pressure is extraordinarily strong. The line between CRT and authentic anti-racism teachings from leaders like Dr Martin Luther King Jr. can feel incredibly blurry, especially to idealistic young teachers who are deeply troubled by the inequality they see. Further, the social cost of questioning the ideology out loud, even with peers, is staggering. As we see in the video, if you don’t affirm this racialized Marxist view of the world, you deserve to be laughed at. Worse, you are no longer part of the “us”; you have outed yourself as part of the ignorant, evil “them.” 
The biggest challenge is that many teachers, despite their discomfort, feel they can&#8217;t say no to these trainings. For example, according to <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRA8t06NaoBjxkzxZQSg_UGKqutzB9SX/edit">documents</a> and statements provided by whistleblowers in VBCPS, earning a “badge” in “Culturally Responsive Teaching” is a significant factor in both employment and promotion to administration within the district. The sad fact, in my experience, is that even the most resilient teachers, including those who quietly oppose CRT training, are ultimately susceptible to it if they are exposed long enough. It grinds you down. In some districts, schools are mandating &#8220;anti-racism&#8221; training as frequently as once a week. 
This article is part of my ongoing effort to report on CRT in schools and public institutions. Please contact me at ghowe@dailywire.com with feedback and stories from your community. I also joined instagram, find me <a href="https://www.instagram.com/georgiamaehowe/">@GeorgiaMaeHowe</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Fists

Leaked Teacher Training Video Shows How Cultish Critical Race Theory Is Being Pushed On Virginia Teachers

Critical Race Theory

Virginia

Evidence submitted to The Daily Wire by whistleblower teachers in Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) reveals how educators are being pressured

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/leaked-teacher-training-video-shows-how-cultish-critical-race-theory-is-being-pushed-on-virginia-teachers/

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Students as young as 13 in <a href="https://www.leanderisd.org/">Leander Independent School District</a>, Austin, TX, have been exposed to graphic sexual content as part of their course work, including graphic verbal depictions of gang rape and other sexual acts. 
Much of the content is too explicit to post on this site, but the TEACH Parental Rights Coalition provides excerpts and screenshots of extended passages <a href="https://teachparentalrights.com/leander-isd-book-list/">here</a> (fair warning, it is nauseating). 
A sample (and comparably “tame”) passage from a book featured on an 11th grade reading list for the district reads: “she reached inside his pants, then into his underwear, and wrapped her hand around him. He bit down hard on his bottom lip, closed his eyes and waited for what came next. He was terrified of what came next.”
You get the picture. 
According to parent Emily Long, who has been at the center of the fight, parents were initially alerted to the problem in August of 2020 when children told their parents how uncomfortable they were in class. Unsurprisingly, parents in the district complained. 
According to one parent who spoke to The Daily Wire on condition of anonymity, their concerns were not received with tolerance by some involved in the process. Proponents of the pornographic content, allegedly including both teachers and parents, lashed out at the concerned parents, calling them “religious zealots, bigots” and “racists.” The harassment did not end at name-calling. There were also…“d**ks.”
“Some of the people speaking out have received anonymous cardboard penises in the mail with anti-Christian messages calling them names such as c**t,” one concerned parent told The Daily Wire. “Others have received dead animals on their porches,&#8221; the parent claimed.
Photographs of the phallic cardboard cutouts were provided to The Daily Wire by Long. Check out the “d**k pics” below and see if you can identify a theme.
One reads “He has risen” and includes a crown of thorns. &#8220;He is risen INDEED. Stay hateful your bigoted c**t&#8221; the back of it reads. The postal packaging reads “fondle with care.” 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-205053" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pic-1.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="800" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-1.jpg 828w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-1-432x576.jpg 432w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-1-768x1024.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></div>
A more intellectually ambitious message accompanying a phallus festooned with glitter reads, “Hope this sparkling d**k calms your fear mongering you book hating philistine.” 
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-205054" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Pic-3.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="800" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-3.jpg 480w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-3-225x300.jpg 225w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/03/Pic-3-432x576.jpg 432w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></div>
The irony of decrying “bigotry” while simultaneously targeting a specific religion hardly requires commentary in 2021. Radical activists have been pioneers on the cutting edge of bigotry for at least a decade, which is why so many have abandoned the left, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flp7gKg5G4E&amp;t=2035s">myself included</a>. 
While the mindbending degeneracy of these activists is mildly humorous, the situation in Austin is not. Some parents in the district are desperate. “We don’t know where to turn,” one parent told me. “We are stuck paying tax dollars to a district who refuses to listen and is rolling out their new social studies curriculum in the fall.”
According to one concerned parent, the district made only token efforts to accommodate parental concerns. In November of 2020 the district issued a (pseudo) <a href="https://www.leanderisd.org/highschoolenglishlanguagesartsinstructionalmaterials/">apology</a>, yet failed to remove the books from the classrooms or curriculum. As of Wednesday, March 23, 2021, the books were still in use in the classrooms, according to teachers at the school who communicated with the PTA. 
In their utterly anemic public statement, the district attempted to blame the debacle on, you guessed it, Covid. The blame-shifting statement reads: 
<blockquote>In Spring 2020, this review took place when we closed our buildings and all staff worked virtually from home due to COVID. We selected the specific titles after the Board of Trustees approved a framework for the adoption, not including the book titles or themes, <a href="https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/795?meeting=452661">during the March 12, 2020 Board of Trustees meeting</a>. 
We over-relied on written reviews and recommendations. We chose not to purchase the multiple copies of each title necessary to mail them to teachers. At the time, we were not allowing any non-essential employees in buildings and we were not distributing any supplies. Teachers were not able to thoroughly read each book. Some books containing passages not suitable for students made it through this flawed vetting process. We acknowledge this breakdown in the process and apologize for selecting inappropriate literature for the assigned students’ ages.</blockquote>
According to one parent I spoke to, the school district initially “put together a book vetting process to appease the parents. But the curriculum directors who chose the books are running [the process],” thus creating an evaluation process that is “completely skewed.” The contentious books are either “passing anyway or being moved to a different grade level or to the school library,&#8221; the parent claimed.
According to Long, at the most recent school board meeting on March 25, 2021, it was determined that several of the books would be pulled from classrooms until the vetting process was complete. This was the first “win” for concerned parents in almost 8 months. As of publication, only about a third of the “book club” books have been vetted, with several slated for removal. According to Long, teachers in the school have confirmed the books have, at long last, been removed from classrooms.
As of publication, the battle over the books in LISD remains contentious, with activist teachers allegedly recruiting students to protest in favor of the books, rallying them around concerns about racism and homophobia. Long also suggested some involved may be connected to a well-funded left-wing organization.
Meanwhile, many teachers oppose the books but are afraid to speak out. “It has created a really toxic environment at the school,” says Long. 
The burning question many of us have is what on earth was the purpose of including these books in the curriculum in the first place? According to Long, teachers claim that these books give “diverse perspectives.” The majority of the erotic novels include characters of color and or LGBTQ+ characters. The claim, thus, is that rejection of these books is a rejection of stories told by those types of characters. 
Still trying to wrap our minds around the reasoning, one might ask, why must books about diverse characters include graphic sexual content? Long says teacher advocates claim that “students are encountering this adult material in their lives, or soon will be, so it’s important to expose them in an environment where they can ask questions” (an odd claim, considering broad research indicates that Gen Z teens are <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-06-gen-teenagers-sex-healthier.html">waiting longer to have sex</a> and are less sexually experienced in their teen years than were <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/">previous generations</a>). 
In a truly mind-bending twist, Long states that the district has proposed bringing in counselors to help the students process the content they are reading, as it can be disturbing.
It’s also fair to ask why the books were kept in the curriculum for 8 months after parent complaints. The schools were operating with a loophole called the “book club,” which meant the students were not “forced” to read any one specific book, but rather had the “option” to select from a range of books, including some options that did not feature graphic sexual depictions, says Long. 
However, the books were utilized during class time in small group settings, meaning that students were exposed to discussions about the books even if they themselves did not choose to read them. Also, as could be expected, chatter about the books was not localized to the students who read them, or even the class in which they were assigned. As any thinking adult may have predicted, pornographic content spreads like wildfire in a highschool. 
According to the parent who initially contacted The Daily Wire about this story, the books were opposed on academic grounds as well. Despite being assigned to high school English students, some of the books are written at elementary school levels. In addition to the pornographic content, parents are also concerned that their children are not being challenged with appropriately rigorous material for their age group.  
The same parent also cited concerns about the epidemic of pornography addiction among <a href="https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/vistas/teenagers-and-pornography-addiction-treating-the-silent-epidemic.pdf?sfvrsn=8">adolescent boys</a>, which mental health professionals are warning is the fastest growing addiction in America, comparable in effect on the brain to <a href="https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/local-news/pornography-addiction-grips-young-americans-compared-to-crack-cocaine">crack cocaine</a>. Knowing this, she argues, it is unconscionable to expose children to this material (“follow the science,” as some might say).
***
This story is part of my ongoing effort to expose CRT (and other degeneracy) in public schools and institutions. If you are struggling to digest the disturbing content you just read, consider contacting LISD so you can be furnished with a professional counselor to assist you. For all other feedback, contact me  at ghowe@dailywire.com. Now you can also reach me on IG <a href="https://www.instagram.com/georgiamaehowe/">@GeorgiaMaeHowe</a>
Notes: A previous version of this incorrectly described Long as the PTA president. A link to the TEACH Parental Rights Coalition has been added to provide more thorough excerpts of passages from the books.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Fondle with Care

Graphic Sexual Content Assigned To Texas Students; Dissenting Parents Harassed With Anti-Christian…‘D**ks’ 

Texas

Students as young as 13 in Leander Independant School District, Austin, TX have been exposed to graphic sexual content as part of their course work, including graphic verbal depictions of gang rape and other sexual acts. 

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/graphic-sexual-content-assigned-to-texas-students-dissenting-parents-harassed-with-anti-christiandks/

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Since I began covering the spread of critical race theory into public school curriculum, I’ve received one question more than any other: what concrete actions should we be taking to get this stuff out of kids&#8217; classrooms? 
This morning, I spoke to Vicki Manning, school board member with the Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS). <a href="https://rumble.com/vejkgt-the-return-to-in-person-learning-is-racist-va-beach-school-board-member-spe.html">Vickie</a> has been on the frontlines of the battle against CRT in her district for the past 7 months. Here’s her advice: 
Show Up
First and foremost, Vickie urges parents (and concerned citizens) to attend local school board meetings. “Show up, speak up, and write to the board”, Vickie suggests. Showing up in person is best (or via zoom when necessary), but letters and emails go a long way. In terms of swaying the school board, there is power in numbers. 
According to Vickie there is reason to be hopeful. In her experience, many parents in her purple district are concerned and willing to get involved. She believes the wave of parent resistance to critical race theory is poised to grow in other districts as well. 
An easy first step is contacting your local school board to ask their stance on critical race theory and what policies, if any, are in place to ensure students are protected from ideological indoctrination at school. 
Investigate 
Vickie also suggests talking to your child about what&#8217;s being discussed in their classes. “Ask them about their subjects, talk about what they are learning.” 
Also worth noting is the importance of reading course syllabi and investigating any 3rd party websites or organizations referenced. Many teachers use educational websites as resources for lessons and videos, and a quick perusal of the types of websites your child’s teacher uses will tell you a lot about the tone of the lessons. A few notorious websites I discovered while covering the new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/an-inside-look-at-californias-radical-new-k-12-curriculum">california</a> Ethnic Studies curriculum include “<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/facing-ferguson-news-literacy-digital-age/preparing-students-difficult">Facing History,</a>” “<a href="https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/our-new-name-learning-for-justice">Learning for Justice</a>,” and perhaps most creepy, “<a href="https://crtandthebrain.com/the-first-six-weeks_create-a-counter-narrative/">CRTandthebrain.com.</a>”
As a former school teacher, I will also add: review the curricula in your state and district, paying special attention to social studies and US history. While it is not always possible to view the curriculum for a specific course or teacher, state and district standards are available for most subjects online. The wording is often vague, but woke ideology has a recognizable signature. A quick automated word search for buzzwords like “equity,” “diversity,” “anti-racism,” “systemic racism,” “social justice,” “oppress,” “narrative,” and “bias,” is a good start. Much can be gleaned about the prevailing ideology in a specific school district from viewing publicly available documents found on local department of education websites. For example, one concerned parent sent me this alarming <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/ode/educator-resources/standards/socialsciences/Documents/2021%20Social%20Science%20Standards%20Integrated%20with%20Ethnic%20Studies%20%283-2-2021%29.pdf">social studies</a> curriculum today. Getting more eyes on these documents is crucial. Schools are not accustomed to being scrutinized, and that must change. 
Encourage teachers to speak out, even anonymously 
According to Vickie, many teachers are concerned, but the vast majority are too afraid to speak up. They worry about losing their jobs, their pensions, and their reputations. According to teachers who have <a href="mailto:ghowe@dailywire.com">written to me</a>, young conservative teachers are “dropping like flies,” because the environment has become so hostile. 
In many ways, these teachers are our eyes and ears in the schools. Vickie suggests encouraging teachers to write anonymously to the board, or publicly if they are willing. Let these teachers know you stand with them. Ask them to provide evidence and documentation of ideological materials distributed by the school. This can include curriculum materials, staff training materials, internal emails, etc. 
If you’re not sure what to do with the evidence, submit them to <a href="https://whataretheylearning.com">whataretheylearning.com</a>, a website that tracks CRT indoctrination in all 50 states. 
No Left Turn In Education
Vickie recommends checking out the nonprofit <a href="https://noleftturn.us">No Left Turn in Education</a> for more information about how to get involved. In addition to mobilizing parents to demand more transparency in the education system, No Left Turn also facilitates “legal counsel for parents, students, and teachers who require support to battle school indoctrination.” Additionally, NLT supports “legal actions against school districts that conduct discriminatory teaching and training.” According to Vickie, NLT is nearly growing faster than they can keep up with, as many parents are joining fight. But more are needed. 
 Contact the media
Vickie’s final piece of advice is to contact the media regarding incidents of injustice, bullying, and radicalization in your community. Those who push CRT ideology count on parents and students not fighting back due to the manufactured stigma. Shining a media spotlight on the truth is the first step in breaking the stigma that stifles dissent. 
This story is part of my ongoing efforts to report on CRT in schools and local communities. Email me at <a href="mailto:ghowe@dailywire.com">ghowe@dailywire.com</a> to share your feedback and stories.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

TOPSHOT-education-FRANCE-SCHOOL

How To Stop Critical Race Theory In Your Local Schools: Advice From A School Board Member

Since I began covering the spread of critical race theory into public school curriculum, I’ve received one question more than any other: what concrete

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/how-to-stop-critical-race-theory-in-your-local-schools-advice-from-a-school-board-member/

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Last week, I wrote about California&#8217;s new Ethnic Studies <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/an-inside-look-at-californias-radical-new-k-12-curriculum">curriculum</a>, and I asked readers to <a href="mailto:ghowe@dailywire.com">contact me</a> with updates on how critical race theory (CRT) is making inroads into their communities. Over the weekend, my inbox was flooded with responses. As we all suspected, this ideology is <a href="https://whataretheylearning.com">everywhere</a>. Red states as well as blue. 
One horrified Daily Wire reader in Oregon shared a letter sent to all state employees from the Governor, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/oregon-salon-owner-says-gov-kate-brown-harassed-her-family-for-breaking-lockdown-orders">Kate Brown</a> (D-Oregon). In it, Brown describes new and forthcoming changes in the state government, all in service to “racial justice.” Prepare for a full body cringe. 
Gov. Kate Brown’s Insufferably Woke Letter To All State Employees
The letter, originally sent January 27th but only brought to our attention this week, begins with the customary listing of historical sins. Brown reminds employees of the multitude of racialized wrongs they remain complicit in by virtue of residence in the state. It is dull, woke tripe. However, further down she launches into some truly hair-raising promises. 
She writes, “I will be spending my time and energy showing what anti-racist, justice-oriented leadership looks like from the top,” as she considers it her “anti-racist duty” to “disrupt ‘the normal’” and to represent residents who have been neglected by “white leaders.”  
Central to her plan seems to be educating her plebeian employees about racism. “There is a wide spectrum of understanding about what anti-racism really is,” she explains. “<a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/3/21278245/antiracist-racism-race-books-resources-antiracism">Instead of just trying not to be racist</a>, white people must do the work of anti-racism” because, and this may come as a surprise to some, “as state employees, counteracting racial injustice is our job.” 
An attached <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/gov/policy/Documents/racial-justice-resources.pdf">handout</a> generously assists state employees in their assignment to become actively “anti-racist”, which of course is code for the now state-sanctioned racism of CRT. Suggested readings include Robin DiAngelo, Ibram X Kendi, Ta-Nehisi Coates and others. Conspicuously missing were any writings by or about Dr Martin Luthar King Jr., who has become an inconvenient impediment to the new racialized order that Brown and her colleagues seek. 
She then launches into a chilling list of concrete actions she has already taken to weave state-sanctioned racialization directly into Oregon government. They include but are not limited to:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Instituted a <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/gov/policy/racial-justice-council/Pages/default.aspx?utm_source=GOV&amp;utm_medium=egov_redirect&amp;utm_campaign=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oregon.gov%2Fracialjusticecouncil">Racial Justice Council</a> (RJC) to recommend over $280 million in investments” </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Created the first RJC-led, anti-racist legislative agenda including a proposal to institutionalize the Racial Justice Council permanently.”  </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Established the Chief Cultural Change Office in the Department of Administrative Services” to “lead the effort in addressing Oregon’s structural and institutional racism”.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Creation of new additional equity-focused positions in state agencies”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Created the <a href="https://www.oregon.gov/gov/policy/Documents/EquityFrameworkCovid19_2020.pdf">State of Oregon Equity Framework for COVID-19 Response &amp; Recovery</a> to ensure that Oregon’s under-resourced communities and communities of color are at the forefront of our recovery plan.”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">“Invested $10 million in <a href="https://innovationlawlab.org/press-releases/equity-corps-statewide-expansion/">Universal Representation</a> to promote immigrant rights and ensure that every Oregonian has access to defensive and affirmative immigration legal representation.”</li>
</ul>
She concludes, “there’s&#8230;much more coming up&#8230;we will continue to take meaningful steps to incorporate anti-racism into state government’s policies, budget process, state workforce, and structures.” 
Several months ago we were shocked by the degree to which this ideology had infiltrated municipal governments, with places like <a href="https://www.seattle.gov/rsji">Seattle</a> on the forefront. Now, those concerns seem quaint as entire state governments fall in line. Oregon is a deep blue state, but this iliberal ideology is on the march across the country. Now is the time to become informed about what is happening in <a href="https://whataretheylearning.com">your state</a>. 
Thank you to everyone who submitted stories and evidence. We continue to monitor and report on the encroachment of this ideology into our schools and civic institutions. Please reach out to <a href="mailto:ghowe@dailywire.com">ghowe@dailywire.com</a> with updates from your community. 
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

TOPSHOT-US-CRIME-POLICE-SHOOTING

Oregon Governor Institutes ‘Racial Justice Council,’ Seeks Permanent Changes To State Government

Woke Culture

Last week, I wrote about California&#039;s new Ethnic Studies curriculum, and I asked readers to contact me with updates on how critical race theory (CRT) is

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/oregon-governor-institutes-racial-justice-council-seeks-permanent-changes-to-state-government/

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This week, the California Department of Education will vote to finalize the proposed “<a href="https://www.city-journal.org/calif-ethnic-studies-curriculum-accuses-christianity-of-theocide">Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.</a>” If passed, it would bring critical race theory-inspired social studies lessons to k-12 classrooms across the state. While implementation will not be mandatory for all districts, the largest districts in the state, Fresno and LAUSD, have already indicated their intention to make the curriculum a requirement for graduation.
It’s difficult to properly convey how radical this curriculum is. The examples shared below are just the tip of the iceberg. The <a href="https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/cdereceditsesmc.asp">full curriculum</a> reads like a yearlong quest to plumb the depths of every racial grievance, legitimate and otherwise, against America as a whole — and white Americans in particular. Global history, to the extent it is addressed, is repackaged as a parade of oppression, often focused solely on the pernicious racism of white people.
Below are four examples highlighting the radical nature of the curriculum.
Lesson Plan: “#BlackLivesMatter and Social Change”
Predictably, this lesson (found in the “African American Studies” unit) includes units on police brutality, protest — referred to as “tactics of resistance” — and even an assignment for students to prepare an “action plan” just in case an incident of police brutality occurs in their community.
Teachers are advised to “begin the lesson by discussing a recent incident in your community where an African American has been subjected to racial profiling or police brutality.” Students are later asked to identify “root causes” leading to the incident, paying special attention to items like “stand your ground, stop and frisk, noise ordinance, police officers bill of rights, cash bail system” and more.
Teachers are also provided links to additional lesson materials like “<a href="https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2017/bringing-black-lives-matter-into-the-classroom-part-ii">Bringing Black Lives Matter into the Classroom Part II</a>,” which explains how to introduce children of various ages to BLM. Predictably, these linked resources include more overtly biased content than the officially endorsed curriculum, including arguments for why traditional American values like <a href="https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/our-new-name-learning-for-justice">tolerance</a> are tantamount to complicity in bigotry (ex: “tolerance is not justice”).
“Jewish Americans: Identity Intersectionality, and Complicating Ideas of Race”
Initially omitted, and only added after receiving 38k comments from community members, the updated curriculum also addresses the persecution of Jewish Americans, albeit in a somewhat backhanded way. For example, the term “conditional whiteness” appears 6 times in the unit on anti-Semitism, but appears nowhere else in the 441 page lesson plan pertaining to other racial groups.
The unit on Jewish Americans also conveniently doubles as a vehicle to learn about “intersectionality,” as well as anti-Arab racism. For example, in one exercise students are asked to contemplate, “what are the manifestations of antisemitism as experienced by intersectional, Jewish Middle Eastern Americans?”
The unit includes extensive discussion of intersectional Jewish identities, including emphasis on Shephardic and Mizrahi jews (Jews of Hispanic and Arab descent), and even highlights Michael Twitty, author of “The Cooking Gene,” for his “intersectional identity, being a Jewish gay African American.”
Near the end of the unit, we are eventually informed that Jews of European descent (read: non-intersectional) can also experience anti-Semitism. We learn that anti-Semitism toward European jews “was only made possible when Europeans conceived of the idea of race.” Persecution of Jews by non-Europeans goes unaddressed.
“Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations” 
In a section labeled “Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations,” educators are instructed on how to facilitate what sounds like a Maoist-style struggle session for k-12 children. Teachers are instructed “how to establish a safe space” for “difficult conversations,&#8221; how to “acknowledge complicated feelings about race,” and perhaps most Orwellian, how to “begin to develop a shared understanding of facts.”
You will be delighted to learn that “Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations” is but the first in an 11-part lesson series, titled “Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age.”
For this particularly prickly unit, the official curriculum links to a <a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/facing-ferguson-news-literacy-digital-age/preparing-students-difficult">3rd party website</a>, the text for which, presumably, was not included in the official department review and community vetting process.
One of the most frequently linked resources is titled “<a href="https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/facing-ferguson-news-literacy-digital-age/preparing-students-difficult">Facing History And Ourselves</a>” (which also happens to be the home of the “Facing Ferguson” series). A brief investigation of the site unearths some controversial learning objectives like: “Students will be able to develop a shared understanding of the basic facts surrounding the events in Ferguson,” as well as links to videos like <a href="http://www.illdoctrine.com/2008/07/how_to_tell_people_they_sound.html">“How to Tell Someone They Sound Racist”</a> (worth watching, FYI).
“Cambodian Americans––Deportation Breaking Families Apart”
The curriculum also misleads via omission. One glaring example can be found in the sample lesson titled, “Cambodian Americans––Deportation Breaking Families Apart.” Students are taught “key terms” like “American secret bombing of Cambodia,” “Pol Pot,” “Khmer Rouge,” “Killing Fields,” and “Trauma,” yet completely omitted is one very relevant key term — “communism.” Despite its relentless focus on systems of power and oppression over the course of the 20th century, the word “communism” appears just one time in the entire document, and only in the context of American involvement in the Vietnam War.
I want to stress that the examples I shared above are hardly highlights. If you lined up all 840 pages on a wall and threw a dart, you would likely hit something as radical as anything I’ve listed. Top to bottom, the entire curriculum hammers relentlessly on one central theme: America is corrupt and oppressive, skin color determines identity, and the entire American project must be dismantled. Indeed, it is our “obligation.”
As of now, this curriculum is only in California. However, these ideas — including critical race theory — represent the mainstream in modern education. It is likely that efforts like this are in progress in several states, and eventually will be in all states. The only way to stop it is to start paying attention. Americans need to understand that radical ideology is being smuggled into our classrooms via small print and unaccountable 3rd party resources. Keeping up with the subtle yet persistent drumbeat of k-12 subversion is tedious, which is why it has been neglected. Hopefully we are beginning to comprehend the importance. We need to become as fastidious as the Left is relentless.
If you are an educator or parent and you have knowledge about concerning curriculum changes in your state or community, please reach out to me at <a href="mailto:ghowe@dailywire.com">ghowe@dailywire.com</a>
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

An Inside Look At California’s Radical New K-12 Curriculum

This week, the California Department of Education will vote to finalize the proposed “Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.” If passed, it would bring critical

An Inside Look At California&#039;s Radical New K-12 Curriculum

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/an-inside-look-at-californias-radical-new-k-12-curriculum/

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According to a Siena College poll released Monday, just 35% of New York voters want Governor Andrew Cuomo to<a href="https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/03/15/siena-poll-just-35-percent-of-new-york-voters-want-cuomo-to-resign-1368277"> resign</a>. Most importantly for Cuomo’s political future, that number includes only 25% of self-identified Democrats. Six in ten (61%) Democrats and half (50%) of all New York voters think he should not resign. 
Calls for the governor to resign erupted over the past few weeks as several<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-6e3c286c9ccfde352fc7b15ae7be9f70"> allegations</a> of sexual misconduct have come to light. The number of accusers now stands at 7, including staffers working in the administration within the past year.
The opinion of New York voters apparently stands in sharp contrast with the stances taken by their elected representatives. As of yesterday, 16 out of 19 New York House delegates have<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/12/politics/new-york-congress-cuomo-resignation/index.html"> called on Cuomo</a> to resign over the<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-6e3c286c9ccfde352fc7b15ae7be9f70"> allegations</a>. 
Reviewing the data, “voters appear to be able to compartmentalize how they feel about the governor,” Siena spokesperson Steve Greenberg said in a statement. 
Voters&#8217; reticence on a Cuomo resignation is particularly noteworthy in light of Cuomo’s sinking approval rating. The same poll found the governor underwater with overall approval, 43% to 45%, yet strikingly, a full 57% of voters feel “satisfied with the way the governor addressed the allegations,” versus just 32% who were “not satisfied”. 
In a press conference Friday, Cuomo emphatically stated that he is &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-gov-andrew-cuomo-refuses-to-resign-questions-motivations-of-accusers">not going to resign</a>.&#8221;
&#8220;People know the difference between playing politics, bowing to cancel culture and the truth. Let the review proceed. I am not going to resign. I was not elected by the politicians. I was elected by the people. Part of this is I am not part of the political club. And you know what? I’m proud of it,” Cuomo said.
The other scandal affecting Cuomo’s polling numbers involves recent revelations that his administration purposefully obfuscated data about thousands of preventable<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/11/politics/kfile-andrew-cuomo-nursing-home-timeline/index.html"> nursing home deaths</a> this past year. 
The revelations are particularly stunning when contrasted with the fawning coverage Cuomo received at the height of the pandemic. Recall his<a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/11/andrew-cuomo-emmy-award"> International Emmy win</a> for his daily briefings, his self-congratulatory<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-donald-trump-pandemics-new-york-andrew-cuomo-7a32db5185b86a62d1accfce147f564e"> book</a> about leadership during the pandemic, and the gleeful distribution of propagandistic<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/arts/design/cuomo-covid-poster-new-york.html"> posters</a> about “<a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2020-03-23/how-coronavirus-made-andrew-cuomo-americas-governor">America’s governor</a>.” 
Yet still, 48%, believe the governor can “effectively do his job,&#8221; compared to only 34% who think he “cannot”. 
The mixed data regarding voter confidence in governor Cuomo may reflect the mixed feelings many Americans have about the MeToo era standards, as well as the general fatigue many feel in response to media whiplash. While voters have cooled substantially on the governor over the past few months, they reject the idea that elected officials must automatically resign in the wake of allegations. 
The slogan “Believe Women” became a meme of hypocrisy when allegations against President Joe Biden were broadly dismissed during the final stages of the 2020 primary, and voters are weary of it. Many voters appear to be signaling that they reject haste in rushing to conclusions on such allegations. Despite the robust credibility of the allegations, most voters prefer to wait for an investigation, and ultimately they prefer to settle things at the ballot box. 
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Andrew Cuomo

Poll: Despite Flood Of Accusations, Most NY Democrats Don’t Want Cuomo To Resign

New York

Sexual Harassment

According to a Siena College poll released Monday, just 35% of New York voters want governor Cuomo to resign. Most importantly for Cuomo’s political future, that number includes only 25% of self-identified Democrats.

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/poll-despite-flood-of-accusations-most-ny-democrats-dont-want-cuomo-to-resign/

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On Tuesday journalist Bari Weiss released a jaw-dropping long-form exposé in <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/the-miseducation-of-americas-elites">City Journal</a> detailing the extent to which leftist &#8220;woke&#8221; ideology has infiltrated America&#8217;s elite private schools. The article, based on interviews with a dozen anonymous parents, teachers, and students connected to some of the nation&#8217;s most prestigious private prep schools, illuminates how the children being indoctrinated at these institutions are tomorrow’s powerful elite. Now, these whistleblowers want the world to know what’s coming down the pipeline.  
If you thought indoctrination at public school was bad, just wait till you see what some private school kids are learning. It’s gone far beyond tossing out classic literature in favor of trendy “woke” offerings like “Dear Justice” and “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass.” According to interviewees with firsthand knowledge of these exorbitantly priced schools, “even physics looks different these days.”
“We don’t call them Newton’s laws anymore&#8230;We call them the three fundamental laws of physics….They say we need to ‘decenter whiteness,’” shared one upperclassman at Fieldston, a top private school in the Bronx for which the 2020-21 tuition was <a href="https://www.ecfs.org/en/frequently-asked-questions-about-our-admissions-process/">$55,510</a>. The school also offers an elective titled &#8220;historicizing whiteness.&#8221; 
Manhattan&#8217;s <a href="https://www.gcschool.org">Grace Church School</a>, which has recently been forced to <a href="https://www.gcschool.org/statement-on-inclusive-language-guide">respond</a> to controversy over its &#8220;Inclusive Language Guide,&#8221;  offers a course titled &#8220;Allying: Why? Who? and How?’&#8221; The curriculum &#8220;includes a ‘zine called ‘<a href="https://pdfhost.io/v/1KY6F~L1W_AccomplicesNotAlliesprintpdf.pdf">Accomplices Not Allies</a>’ that declares ‘the work of an accomplice in anti-colonial struggle is to attack colonial structures &amp; ideas,’ alongside a photograph of a burning police car,&#8221; Weiss notes. 
Meanwhile, Harvard-Westlake (2021-22 annual tuition<a href="https://www.hw.com/admission/Tuition-Information"> $42,600</a>), &#8220;in its extensive antiracist plan announced this summer, included ‘redesigning the 11th grade US History course from a critical race theory perspective,’ among many similar goals,&#8221; Weiss reports.
Somehow, it gets worse: “One teacher&#8230;was asked to teach an antiracist curriculum that included a ‘<a href="https://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wsdl/files/styles/x_large/public/201801/pyramid_of_white_supremacy_campus_reform.png">pyramid</a>’ of white supremacy. At the top was genocide. At the bottom was ‘two sides to every story.’”
According to these whistleblowers, the effect on kids is both profound and damaging. This academic obsession with race “has made me think about race more&#8230;MLK would condemn my school,” said one concerned student.
Even young children are being taught to see themselves and others through the lens of skin color. One elementary child at Chapin reportedly told her father, “All people with lighter skin don’t like people with darker skin and are mean to them.” Horrified, her father tried to explain to her that’s &#8220;not how we feel in this family.” 
One 4-year-old child reportedly told her mother, “I need to draw in my own skin color.” Skin color, the child explained, “is really important.” 
Understandably, these parents, teachers, and students are alarmed by this racially divisive radical ideology. They are also extraordinarily afraid. According to one anonymous teacher, “to speak against this is to put all of your moral capital at risk.”
In addition to concerns about losing their job, parents are deeply concerned about hurting their children.
“The school can ask you to leave for any reason,” said one mother at Brentwood, another Los Angeles prep school. “Then you’ll be blacklisted from all the private schools and you’ll be known as a racist, which is worse than being called a murderer.”
As one parent who fled a communist country states, “I came to this country escaping the very same fear of retaliation that now my own child feels.”
These parents may be wealthy, but they feel trapped. 
“‘I don’t mean to get emotional, I just feel helpless&#8230;I’m too afraid,&#8221; one parent told Weiss. &#8220;I’m too afraid to speak too loudly. I feel cowardly. I just make little waves.” 
According to another parent, “It’s fear of retribution. Would it cause our daughter to be ostracized? Would it cause people to ostracize us? It already has.”
Weiss also explores why this is happening. One STEM teacher from a prestigious New York prep school gave a chilling answer: “The colleges want children — customers — that are going to be pre-aligned to certain ideologies that originally came out of those colleges…I call it woke-weaning. And that’s the product schools like mine are offering.”
According to these teachers, “power in America now comes from speaking woke, a highly complex and ever-evolving language.”
As Weiss states, “fluency in woke is an effective class marker and key for these princelings to retain status in university and beyond. The parents know this, and so woke is now the lingua franca of the nation’s best prep schools.”
Weiss provides a sample of the elite insider &#8220;woke&#8221; language, as modeled by a Harvard-Westlake English teacher when she welcomes students back from break (good luck to working class students trying to keep up): “I am a queer white womxn of European descent. I use [ she | her ] pronouns but also feel comfortable using [ they | them ] pronouns.&#8221; She also included a &#8220;self-care letter&#8221; quoting Audre Lorde: &#8220;Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.&#8221;
According to Weiss’s article, the ideology is also eroding students&#8217; relationships with parents. “The school has taken over as the moral guide, with me being the irritating person in the background who doesn’t really get it,” laments one Harvard-Westlake mother.
“The idea of lying in order to please a teacher seems like a phenomenon from the Soviet Union,” says Weiss.
&#8220;Students told [me] that their history class had a unit on Beyoncé, and they felt compelled to say that they loved her music, even if they did not&#8230;,&#8221; Weiss notes. &#8220;They aren’t even entitled to their own musical preferences.&#8221;
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Eton College, Berkshire

‘You’ll Be Blacklisted From All The Private Schools And You’ll Be Known As A Racist’: Students, Parents Pull Back Curtain On Woke Prep Schools

Social Justice

On Tuesday journalist Bari Weiss released a jaw-dropping long-form exposé in City Journal detailing the extent to which leftist &quot;woke&quot; ideology has infiltrated America&#039;s elite private schools.

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/woke-ideology-has-infiltrated-elite-prep-schools-and-the-results-are-jaw-dropping/

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Yesterday, senators in Alabama voted 23-4 in favor of a bill that would outlaw gender transition surgery for persons under 18. The bill also includes a provision requiring school staff to notify parents if &#8220;a minor&#8217;s perception&#8221; of &#8220;his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her sex.&#8221;
The bill has been heavily criticized by progressive groups as “anti-science” and contrary to “prevailing standards of treatment” (more on that later), according to a <a href="https://www.aclualabama.org/en/legislation/hb1-sb10-2021-anti-trans-youth">statement</a> from the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama. 
The bill, HB1/SB10, is the first of its kind, but it won’t be the last. On the issue of trans kids, the battle lines have been drawn: it’s medical transition or bust. 
As the issue of gender transition for children gains prominence, many reticent liberals will find themselves between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, they can side with the sensibilities of a super majority of Alabaman senators and voters, and support legislation that could result in them being lambasted as &#8220;anti-gay&#8221; or &#8220;anti-choice&#8221; (this may feel, to some, like the &#8220;pigs-flying&#8221; option). Or, alternatively, they can swallow whatever concerns they have about child medical transition and oppose the measure, ensuring their status as &#8220;ally&#8221; to the &#8220;woke&#8221; pro-LGBTQ community.
Given the two choices, most liberals will choose the latter. 
Caught in the riptide of perceived in-group consensus, many on the Left will simply quash their concerns in a harried effort to keep up with the morality Joneses. It’s hard to blame them. They’re disoriented by the breakneck speed of the progressive herd which leaves stragglers immortalized forever as “bigots,” caught flat-footed “on the wrong side of history.” The pressure to be an early adopter of progressive moral norms is immense. Luckily, a pressure valve exists.
The easy escape for many liberals hesitant to fall in line with the modern day embrace of the Left&#8217;s ideas on transgenderism is to recline into the virtuous posture of criticizing their own conscience as wrong. According to critical theory ideology, our moral compasses are informed by the oppressive dominant culture so, we are told, they should be treated as suspicious and tainted if they conflict with the higher wisdom handed down from approved elite. Lean on the approved experts, we’re told. As they put it, questioning yourself is “part of the work” and the resistance you’re feeling is “part of the oppressive structure that must be dismantled.&#8221;
 The self doubt cuts deep, and those who buy into critical theory most heavily feel it the most deeply. 
“My doubts are shameful and wrong because they are programmed by the heteronormative culture I live in.”
“Everyone I respect seems to support it, and the people we don’t respect are the ones who don’t support it.” 
“If it makes me uncomfortable that just means I don’t understand it. I should seek to ‘educate’ myself until it makes sense.” 
Some liberals may experience these thoughts and embrace them. After all, it&#8217;s the easy route. 
Others, however, aren&#8217;t able to recline into woke absolution so easily. They can’t quite kick the feeling that something really is wrong. The brainwashing isn’t strong enough for these hardy folks. 
To those liberals, I say this: stay strong. You are not crazy. And no, your reservations do not automatically make you a conservative. They make you prudent. 
As if this even needs be stated, it is completely reasonable to have reservations about pediatric medical transition. Children under 18 are not capable of comprehending major medical decisions, period. Despite the assurances from trans lobby groups that medical transition is safe and reversible, the medical literature includes growing evidence that this is patently<a href="https://world.wng.org/content/study_effects_of_puberty_blockers_can_last_a_lifetime"> untrue</a>. 
It feels like just yesterday that liberals were fretting about hormones in non-organic milk causing precocious puberty in girls. They weren&#8217;t crazy. Hormones are powerful even in small doses, and kids&#8217; bodies are fragile. The fact we are even considering the use of hormones in high enough doses to alter the normal healthy growth of children is stunning. It is not “right-wing” to feel stunned. 
I know this for a fact. 
As an openly conservative woman in a largely left-wing social sphere, I am the recipient of many secret confessions. People admit opinions to me that they don’t have the nerve to share publicly, or in some cases even with their spouse. With the possible exception of critical race theory, there is no progressive issue that alarms the liberals I’ve spoken to more than the encroachment of transgender ideology into K-12 schools. So rest assured, if you are a liberal who has concerns, you are far from alone. 
So speak up. Easier said than done, I know, but if there ever was a time to pump the brakes and demand a thorough discussion, this is it. And if there was ever a time when the crowd was really with you, this is it. 
Oh, and in ten or twenty years, after the class action lawsuits have rolled in, you will find yourself on the right side of history. 
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Gender Symbols

Liberals, Please Grow A Spine And Say No To Child Gender Transition

Gender

Transgender

Yesterday, senators in Alabama voted 23-4 in favor of a bill that would outlaw gender transition surgery for persons under 18. The bill also includes a provision requiring school staff to notify parents if &quot;a minor&#039;s perception&quot; of &quot;his or her gender is inconsistent with his or her sex.&quot;

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/liberals-please-grow-a-spine-and-say-no-to-child-gender-transition/

https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-925579172.jpg

Over the past year, millions of Americans have watched with impotent confusion as woke social justice ideology has consumed virtually every aspect of American cultural life. Unable to find the right words to express their concerns, and paralyzed by the specter of “cancelation,” most have witnessed this trend in dismayed silence. Fortunately, we may have some assistance in finding the words to express our collective alarm. 
Last week, Columbia linguist, author, and self-described liberal John McWhorter published a masterful second installment of his most recent work “<a href="https://johnmcwhorter.substack.com/p/the-elect-neoracists-posing-as-antiracists">The Elect: Neoracists Posing As Antiracists And Their Threat To A Progressive America</a>.” This most recent book, which is set to be released in 10 installments on Substack, parlays the silent concerns of millions of Americans (from both sides of the aisle) into a bold and cutting critique of the modern “antiracism” agenda. Beyond merely an elegant articulation of broadly felt concerns, McWhorter expertly illuminates the internal contradictions within the ideology. His central thesis: that the “antiracist” ideology is itself a religious movement, requiring a suspension of logical thought and characterized by the same unthinking and unreasoned fervor that inspired medieval Christians to persecute Jews and Muslims. 
As fans (and critics) well know, McWhorter does not pull punches. In the first installment of the work, he lays bare the litany of contradictions that one must accept unquestioningly, suspending one&#8217;s rational faculties to do so, in order to be properly “antiracist” (which one can never truly be, as another tenet of the faith asserts). 
“Black people cannot be held accountable for everything every black person does, BUT, all whites must acknowledge their personal complicitness in the perfidy throughout the history of whiteness,” writes McWhorter. 
Writing as a black author and top-tier academic, McWhorter is able to evade the standard shut-down criticisms that would likely silence a less equipped message-bearer. His arguments are cogent, his aim is precise, and his sharp wit hints at his apparent delight in dragging his squirming subject out of the intellectual shadows and pinning it under the harsh spotlight of reason.
I suggested at the outset that McWhorter might help us find words to push back against the woke bullying. Indeed he serves up hundreds of pithy passages that slice through the woke nonsense like a hot knife through butter. Perhaps his most pragmatic contribution is the term “The Elect,” used to describe individuals convinced of their elevated moral wisdom. A linguist, McWhorter understands the power of words to frame, shame, and steer popular sentiment. More so than the too-dismissive “SJW” or “Woke Mob,” the term “The Elect” connotes both the moral smugness as well as the genuine earnest religiosity of that self-appointed, self-righteous group. Best of all, it immediately conjures the medieval crusaders of the past that The Elect so closely resemble. Like the best rhetorical barbs, it is mild enough to be used in gentle jest, yet potent enough to inspire some much needed reflection among those of The Elect who remain at all tethered to self-awareness and reason. It’s a term well worth adopting. 
If you’re a conservative, it should be noted that you are not the intended audience for this book. McWhorter correctly identifies this ideological battle between rationality and wokeness as one which must ultimately be fought and won among the Left. Though conservatives may wholeheartedly agree with every claim he makes — almost certainly more than the author himself would expect — McWhorter is explicitly appealing to liberals who share conservatives’ concerns but cannot fathom making common cause with us. Strategically he is smart to relegate conservatives to the peanut gallery, as it would only fuel his critics if the Right was seen to be seizing upon his work too gleefully. As stakeholders in his success, we must walk that line with caution. 
That said, McWhorter’s dissection of the “antiracist” movement is a masterpiece that shouldn’t be missed. In my opinion, it is the best critique of progressive bigotry since Shelby Steele’s “White Guilt.” As much as he is a champion for the millions of silenced liberals who feel politically homeless, he is a champion for everyone who values rationality, truth, and (small-L) liberal values. Most importantly, and most central to his mission, he is a champion for black Americans whose dignity has been targeted most ruthlessly and most perniciously over recent decades by the rise of regressive woke ideology.  
You can access the first two chapters of McWhorter&#8217;s book for free on <a href="https://johnmcwhorter.substack.com/p/the-elect-neoracists-posing-as-antiracists">Substack</a>. It deserves to be read and shared widely. 
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a class="in-cell-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

John McWhorter

Ivy League Professor Dismantles The Destructive ‘Antiracist’ Movement

Anti-Racism

Racism

Readers Pass

Over the past year, millions of Americans have watched with impotent confusion as woke social justice ideology has consumed virtually every aspect of

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/ivy-league-professor-dismantles-the-destructive-antiracist-movement/

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As a rule, I will defend public school teachers in almost every case. As a former public school teacher myself, I too have been in the trenches, where I experienced some truly exquisite misery. If it weren&#8217;t for the fleeting moments of pure joy, or the fairly regular episodes of side-splitting hilarity, or the really good kids whose miraculous maturity allows them to bear witness to an adult’s backbreaking labor of love, no one on planet earth could be convinced to teach public school. No one. So when I say I understand how hard teachers work, I really do. And as a registered nurse who spent most of 2020 on the frontlines dealing with Covid-stricken patients, I think I understand what it means to put oneself in harm’s way. 
My reverence for teachers makes it incredibly hard to lay any strong request or criticism at their feet. But today I must: Teachers, it is incumbent on you to stand up to your unions and demand to return to school. Not because you want to (lordy I don’t blame you if you don’t), but because the kids need you, parents need you, and because, at this point, there is not even a wispy-thin loin cloth of an excuse not to. 
The CDC is resoundingly clear. Per their <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html">February 12th release</a>: “in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.” 
There were indications that schools were not significant vectors for community spread as early as last spring, with robust evidence emerging in medical journals by midsummer. It is now almost March. 
Let me just say, I get it. As someone who, years later, still has nightmares about my early teaching days (struggling to manage a classroom of 37 preteen boys, in north Memphis, as I begged them to care about pre-algebra), I sympathize. If a fluky scenario somehow had required me to take a break from in-person teaching, I would have clung to that excuse with a desperate vice-like clench. If the union whispered in my ear that it was best, noble even, for me to stay at home, it would have been deeply seductive. I pass no judgment on the teachers who are burned out enough to have been seduced. 
However, I’m here to break the news that this is getting ridiculous. Embarrassing even. 
Despite your valiant efforts to adjust to zoom, the stubborn fact remains that your service is not being fully rendered, and the rest of us are suffering, and needlessly so. Cases are plummeting — <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/graphics/graphic-tracking-coronavirus-infections-us">dropping by over 20% for the fifth straight week</a>. Schools have been deemed by health officials as relatively safe. Most importantly, <a href="https://edsource.org/2020/student-anxiety-depression-increasing-during-school-closures-survey-finds/631224">your students are suffering</a>. We all want to start living again, and we are waiting, largely, on you. 
Teachers are tougher than this. It needs to stop. 
Rest assured, I am not preaching from the safety of a sequestered home office, but rather as an emergency RN who, no doubt, inhaled loads of the little beasties last year on a daily basis starting in March. I spent the entirety of 2020 on the front line in a busy ER in Los Angeles, during which time I worked with hundreds of covid patients. In all that time, I personally did not treat a single child sickened by Covid. In August I treated one father who may have been infected by his asymptomatic 10-year-old child. Anecdotal? Yes. However, my experience correlates with virtually all of the known research which, again, began appearing as early as spring of 2020. That we are discussing this now, well into the spring semester of 2021, is absurd.
Like tens of millions of “essential workers” (a term I loath, but I digress), I donned a mask and jumped in without hesitation each day during the height of the pandemic. Like my medical colleagues, I didn’t hesitate to lean in and put my hands on an infectious coughing patient, because their care was my duty, and the science assured me my risk was low. If an inexpensive, government-issued N-95 mask allowed my colleagues and I to do our jobs safely for months on end, I can&#8217;t think of a single reason why a teacher, in the same mask, working at a 6-foot distance, with a very low-risk population, in a setting which copious research suggests is safe, couldn&#8217;t do the same. I must admit, I chuckle even imagining a teacher wearing an N-95. Us nurses don’t even wear them with non-Covid patients in the emergency department, let alone non-medical settings, but if that’s what it takes, then by all means.
Demographically, nurses and teachers are virtually identical. Professionally, both are essential for societal function. And neither, I can personally attest, fill their ranks with cowards. The fact that one of these groups, that with the demonstrably lower risk, has been allowed to hold society hostage until we accommodate their every request, while the other has soldiered on without skipping a beat, is a circle I cannot square. I’m struck, as this level of princess behavior is utterly inconsistent with what I know to be the fortitude of the average teacher. 
In reality, my frustration isn’t truly with teachers. It rests firmly with the teachers unions that only obliquely represent the teachers they purport to serve. It is the unions that are fueling hysteria among their ranks, and doing so for nakedly political reasons, as is obvious to anyone who takes the time to research their demands. Many teachers are simply caught in the crosshairs of dueling loyalties. I would never waste my time appealing to the unions to do what’s right for students and parents because they have shown time and again that they are shockingly callous to the wellbeing of students and parents. However, it is well worth my time to appeal to teachers, because teachers genuinely do care about students and parents. 
So teachers, I am speaking directly to you. I implore you, please stand up for what’s right. Please restore the reputation of your noble profession. Please demand an end to this hostage situation. 
Georgia Howe is a columnist, podcast host and registered nurse. 
The views expressed in this piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Empty elementary classroom.

Teachers, Please End This Hostage Situation.

Coronavirus

COVID-19

As a rule, I will defend public school teachers in almost every case. As a former public school teacher myself, I too have been in the trenches, where I

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/teachers-please-end-this-hostage-situation/

https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2021/02/Empty-Classroom-1200x800.jpg

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Georgia Howe