On Friday, investigative reporter Christopher Rufo reported that the Seattle public schools were giving a training program to teachers that instructed them to “bankrupt their white privilege” as well as “commit to the journey” of anti-whiteness while discussing “spirit murder,” the idea that Americans schools “murder the souls of Black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence.”
Rufo began his Twitter thread by writing, “The trainers begin by claiming that teachers are colonizers of Native American ‘ancestral lands”’ and that ‘the United States was built off the stolen labor of kidnapped and enslaved Black people’s work, which created the profits that created our nation.’”
The documents state, “We would like to acknowledge that we are on the ancestral lands and traditional territories of the Puget Sound Coast Salish People. We want to recognize that the United States was built off the stolen labor of kidnaped African and enslaved Black people’s work, which created the profits that created our nation.”
The trainers begin by claiming that teachers are colonizers of Native American "ancestral lands" and that “the United States was built off the stolen labor of kidnapped and enslaved Black people’s work, which created the profits that created our nation.” pic.twitter.com/lTSXFACqDD
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
Rufo posted screenshots showing the participants’ bios, commenting, “The participants identify themselves by both gender pronouns and race labels. While it has become commonplace in academia to use gender pronoun identifiers, this is perhaps the first example of an institution creating the expectation for explicit race-labeling in the workplace.”
The participants identify themselves by both gender pronouns and race labels. While it has become commonplace in academia to use gender pronoun identifiers, this is perhaps the first example of an institution creating the expectation for explicit race-labeling in the workplace. pic.twitter.com/PJM95tVR0X
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
He explained further:
The trainers tell white teachers that they “must commit to the journey,” even if their “lizard-brain” makes them “afraid that [they] will have to talk about sensitive issues such as race, racism, classism, sexism, or any kind of ‘ism.’”
The trainers tell white teachers that they "must commit to the journey" of anti-whiteness, even if their "lizard-brain" makes them "afraid that [they] will have to talk about sensitive issues such as race, racism, classism, sexism, or any kind of ‘ism.’" pic.twitter.com/hfU94v4Rjy
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
Rufo then turned to what he termed “the central message”: “that white teachers must recognize that they ‘are assigned considerable power and privilege’ because of their ‘possession of white skin.’ To atone for this guilt, they must ‘bankrupt [their] privilege in acknowledgement of [their] thieved inheritance.’”
The central message is that white teachers must recognize that they “are assigned considerable power and privilege” because of their “possession of white skin.” To atone for this guilt, they must “bankrupt [their] privilege in acknowledgement of [their] thieved inheritance.” pic.twitter.com/XqFG10xfx4
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
He noted, “Next, the teachers hold a discussion about ‘spirit murder,’ which, according to Dr. Bettina Love, is the concept that Americans schools ‘murder the souls of Black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence.’”
Next, the teachers hold a discussion about “spirit murder,” which, according to Dr. Bettina Love, is the concept that Americans schools “murder the souls of Black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence.” pic.twitter.com/zvgfEI8IJ7
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
Rufo continued, “The goal of this program is to transform public schools into activist organizations. At the end, teachers must explain how they will practice ‘anti-racist pedagogy,’ address ‘current social justice movements taking place,’ and become ‘anti-racist outside the classroom.’”
Next, the teachers hold a discussion about “spirit murder,” which, according to Dr. Bettina Love, is the concept that Americans schools “murder the souls of Black children every day through systemic, institutionalized, anti-Black, state-sanctioned violence.” pic.twitter.com/zvgfEI8IJ7
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) December 18, 2020
Earlier this month, Rufo reported 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 were the teachers told that they must acknowledge their “privilege” and embrace “antiracist” ideas, they were instructed to “teach others to see their privilege.”
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.”