Racism has long been a problem, both here in the United States and across the planet – probably since the first time two people of different races saw each other for the first time. And sadly, some peoples and cultures have allowed for one race or another to be deemed as less than another.
Picking up any history book will teach you that typically it is those of darker skin tones that are seen as the lesser, probably for no other reason than that the more “civilized” nations seemed to be ones where white or Caucasian tones were more dominant and had all the power.
America was one such place, and, as a result, we allowed unspeakable tragedies to occur on our soil.
For the most part, those days have passed. Slavery is no longer legal, and laws have been made that equality a must in nearly all aspects of life, from the workplace and education to housing and voting rights.
However, there are many, primarily those on the left, who would claim that America is still as racist as ever, with blacks and minorities still being oppressed while whites remain on top of it all. In fact, there is a whole movement that teaches that some part of whites makes them inherently evil and racist.
It’s called critical theory and seeks to right that racism by teaching those of lighter skin tones to “check their privilege” on a near-constant basis. Up until the past year or so, most installations of CRT have been seen in large corporations. However, it seems that the theory is now beginning to take over our schools.
And some parents are rightfully having a significant problem with it.
Meet Harvey Goldman. Until recently, his daughter (age 9) attended a Jewish Day school in Manhattan known as the Heschel School, which costs about $43,000 in annual tuition. Until he found out the school was changing its curriculum to adopt critical race theory and the promotion of Black Lives Matter.
Goldman said he learned of the curriculum changes in a recent newsletter sent out by the school and began to grow concerned, especially after it was indicated that teachers were speaking of the “murder of George Floyd” before the verdict was in and other “Marxist and destructive” ideas.
Naturally, like any involved parent, Goldman “questioned” the changes, writing a letter to the school expressing his concern. In his statement, he noted that neither I, nor my child, have ‘white privilege,’ nor do we need to apologize for it.” And he added, “Suggesting I do is insulting. Suggesting to my 9-year-old child she does is child abuse, not education.”
And when the school failed to reach out or address Goldman’s concerns, he made it known to the staff that he and his family would be pulling out Heschel and moving to Florida, where his daughter would be enrolled in a school that wouldn’t teach her to despise herself.
Goldman said on ‘Fox & Friends First” on Monday, “Little children don’t need to feel bad about the color of their skin. That’s what they’re teaching them, to feel bad about who they are. Schools are supposed to be teaching you confidence.”
And he’s not the only parent who feels this way.
Bion Bartning’s children attend another New York City school, Riverdale Country School, costing about $54,000 to participate annually. And he, too, has been concerned about the growing hatred and division being taught there. In fact, he’s even started the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism to combat the new “orthodoxy” being jammed down his kids’ throats at school.
Bartning told the New York Post, “I don’t fit into any of those race buckets. I think it is wrong to be teaching kids these socially constructed race categories. It’s a destructive ideology, teaching children to be pessimistic and full of grievance rather than being optimistic and full of gratitude. It goes against all the values I was raised with, and there are many out there who feel as I do. This is a movement with a lot of people.”
And they aren’t wrong.
I understand that some minorities have felt that this is what the world has taught their children for generations, that they are lesser for simply being the color they are. Rightfully, they’d like that to change.
But the answer isn’t turning the tables and teaching someone else’s kids the same kind of hatred. How does that make the world any less racist?
Thankfully, some parents recognize that and are standing up to it.