Students at Michigan State University hoping to become the educators of the next generation are forced to take a race-centered course that follows “the guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter” movement and requires students to read from a book condemning “whiteness.”
Course materials obtained by the Young America’s Foundation group on MSU’s campus and shared with The Daily Wire show that one class for future teachers pushes leftist theories on race. The introductory three-credit class, “TE 101: Social Foundations of Justice and Equity in Education,” is required for all Secondary Education majors at MSU and is typically taken before their junior year. TE 101’s course description states that it emphasizes “racial justice, equity, and social identity markers.”
The syllabus for TE 101 states that the class is “committed to the Guiding Principles of the Black Lives Matter Movement, Learning for Justice’s Social Justice Standards, and the principles of the Abolitionist Teaching Network.”
One Michigan State education major, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Daily Wire that 90-100% of the class is focused on race.
“This class is an indoctrination of modern racial ideology,” the student said.
Asked if sitting through hours of leftist ideology becomes discouraging, the student replied, “No, it actually makes me want to pursue this degree more. It makes me want to be able to teach children instead of these other people.”
“Because I feel like there is a lack of conservatives in education,” the student added. “We see how the other side has done with these students.”
The only book TE 101 students are required to read for the semester includes a section that condemns “whiteness” as a privilege that “will never allow true solidarity to take place.”
The book, “We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom,” by Bettina Love, “argues that the US educational system is maintained by and profits from the suffering of children of color.” The author writes that for education reform to take place, leaders must “approach education with the imagination, determination, boldness, and urgency of an abolitionist.”
One excerpt from the book focuses on how “whiteness” cannot be included in the fight for education reform.
“Whiteness cannot enter spaces focused on abolitionist teaching. Whiteness is addicted to centering itself, addicted to attention, and making everyone feel guilty for working toward its elimination. Whiteness will never allow true solidarity to take place. Those who cling to their Whiteness cannot participate in abolitionist teaching because they are a distraction, are unproductive, and will undermine freedom at every step, sometimes in the name of social justice. Being an abolitionist means you are ready to lose something, you are ready to let go of your privilege, you are ready to be in solidarity with dark people by recognizing your Whiteness in dark spaces, recognizing how it can take up space if unchecked, using your Whiteness in White spaces to advocate for and with dark people. And you understand that your White privilege allows you to take risks that dark people cannot take in the fight for educational justice.”
Each of the three groups mentioned as being pivotal to the class has a history of advocating for radical leftist ideas. The course syllabus links to “Guiding Principles” of the BLM movement, which include radical leftist ideas on race and gender. Among the 13 BLM movement principles listed on the website for “D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice” are commitments to be “queer affirming” and “trans affirming.” The “Guiding Principle” under transgender affirmation vows to “dismantle cis-gender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.”
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Learning for Justice, the second group listed on the syllabus, is part of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which aims to be “a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.” The SPLC has been condemned for placing Christian and conservative organizations on its “Hate Map” that publicly tracks groups and individuals that it deems radical and hateful. Learning for Justice’s “Social Justice Standards” seek to teach children as young as five years old about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
The Abolitionist Teaching Network, another group that guides the MSU education class, encourages teachers to become activists.
“Abolitionist Teaching Network leverages teachers’ and workers’ power by offering resources for agitators and activists,” the group states.
Another MSU education student who previously took TE 101 and spoke to The Daily Wire on condition of anonymity, said that the hyper-focus on race continues in courses beyond TE 101, especially in “TE 102: Pedagogy and Politics of Justice and Equity in Education.”
“I’ve had to write papers on different identities. You can choose race, gender, sexuality, income status. I think the goal is to have most students write about their whiteness,” the student said. “They teach that white people can’t see their identity. The core tenet of these classes feels like white people, especially white men, are the number one objection to what stands in the way of a better education system and a better society.”
The conservative student group, Young America’s Foundation, which first highlighted TE 101 at MSU, called the course’s content “divisive and discriminatory.”
“This kind of rhetoric only pushes Americans further apart, and is not only a waste of taxpayer money at a publicly funded university, but also a waste of students’ time,” Michigan State YAF added in a statement. “Do we really want our future educators teaching our children that an entire race is evil?”
Michigan State defended the class. A spokesperson for the university told The Daily Wire that the course “aligns with national teacher preparation standards, and its associated curriculum is reviewed through well-established academic governance processes at the department, college, and institutional level.” The spokesperson added that courses and curricula are approved by the department, which requires sign-off from the dean, and then approval by an independent curriculum committee.
Courses and curricula are also reviewed by the Office of Accreditation, Assessment, Curriculum, and Compliance and the University Curriculum Committee. After those reviews, the University Curriculum Committee votes for final approval.
“Michigan State University remains firmly committed to academic freedom, scholarly inquiry, and the preparation of educators who are well equipped to serve all students,” the MSU spokesperson added.
Since coming into office in January, President Donald Trump has signed executive orders seeking to crack down on DEI teachings at public universities. The Trump administration has launched investigations into dozens of universities across the country over accusations that they pushed DEI programs on students and faculty, which led to racial discrimination.
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