On Thursday, an exclusive report on leaked documents revealed that the San Diego Unified School District was holding training sessions where teachers were told of their “white privilege,” that they were racist, and they were part of an oppressive white power structure. Not only are the teachers told that they must acknowledge their “privilege” and embrace “antiracist” ideas, they are instructed to “teach others to see their privilege.”
Christopher Rufo of City Journal reported what he had discovered in the leaked documents. “SCOOP: San Diego Unified School District is forcing teachers to attend ‘white privilege’ training, in which teachers are told ‘you are racist’ and ‘you are upholding racist ideas, structures, and policies.’ The leaked documents from the training session will shock you,” Rufo wrote in a series of posts.
“The training begins with a ‘land acknowledgement,’ in which the teachers are asked to accept that they are colonizers living on stolen Native American land,” he continued. “Then they are told they will experience ‘guilt, anger, apathy, [and] closed-mindedness’ because of their ‘white fragility.’”
The training begins with a "land acknowledgement," in which the teachers are asked to accept that they are colonizers living on stolen Native American land. Then they are told they will experience "guilt, anger, apathy, [and] closed-mindedness" because of their "white fragility." pic.twitter.com/meUO3GiXNu
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 3, 2020
Under “land acknowledgement,” the training states, “We acknowledge that we meet on stolen land, taken from indigenous peoples. I am speaking to you from Kumeyaay land. We must acknowledge the hidden history of violence against indigenous peoples in an effort to move towards justice.”
Under “white fragility,” the training quotes Robin DiAngelo: “It is a more powerful means of white racial control and the protection of white advantage.”
Under “norms and agreements,” the training states, “Expect to experience discomfort.”
Rufo noted, “After watching clips of Robin DiAngelo and Ibram Kendi, the trainers tell the teachers: ‘you are racist,’ ‘you are upholding racist ideas, structures, and policies,’ and that they must commit to becoming ‘antiracist’ in the classroom. They must submit to the new racial orthodoxy.”
After watching clips of Robin DiAngelo and Ibram Kendi, the trainers tell the teachers: "you are racist," "you are upholding racist ideas, structures, and policies," and that they must commit to becoming "antiracist" in the classroom. They must submit to the new racial orthodoxy. pic.twitter.com/EEFNc0H1em
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 3, 2020
Rufo added, “The teachers are told that they are part of an oppressive white power structure. The trainers claim that ‘white people in America hold most of the [power]’ and that white teachers have an ‘ability to thrive’ that is ‘being preserved at every level of power.’”
Under “white privilege and culture,” the training states: “Since white people hold most of the political, institutional, and economic power, they receive advantages that nonwhite groups do not. White culture and white racialized identity refer to the way that white people, their customs, culture and beliefs operate as the standard by which all other groups are compared.”
Further, the training indicates that the teachers should acknowledge: “My ability to THRIVE, not just survive, is being preserved at every level of power without me having to do anything at all. I don’t even have to vote.”
The materials, Rufo wrote, demands that teachers become “antiracist” activists, who “confront and examine [their] white privilege,” “acknowledge when [they] feel white fragility,” and “teach others to see their privilege.” In other words, said Rufo, teachers are told that “they must turn their schools into activist organizations.”
Rufo concluded by noting that just 47% of San Diego Unified students reach proficiency in reading and math. “Teaching ‘white fragility’ will do nothing to help students improve their academic abilities — it will only serve activist teachers who want to shift the blame to ‘systemic racism,’” he said.
Finally, teachers are told they must become "antiracist" activists. They must "confront and examine [their] white privilege," "acknowledge when [they] feel white fragility," and "teach others to see their privilege." They must turn their schools into activist organizations. pic.twitter.com/1KaJobp5Km
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 3, 2020
Here's the problem: only 47% of San Diego Unified students reach proficiency in reading and math. Teaching "white fragility" will do nothing to help students improve their academic abilities—it will only serve activist teachers who want to shift the blame to "systemic racism."
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 3, 2020