Critical race theory sees the invisible!
Let’s have no more nonsense that critical race theory is not being taught in our schools. Looking at you, John Nichols, for writing “CRT is nothing more than dishonest right-wing talking points.”
Prof. John McWhorter of Columbia University would disagree. First, let’s define our terms. No, it isn’t about teaching the history of slavery or racial oppression. McWhorter defines CRT as “See[ing] white people as potential oppressors and black people as perpetual victims of an inherently oppressive system.”
“It is a prescription,” adds columnist Bret Stephens of New York Times, “not for genuine dialogue and reform, but for indoctrination and extirpation [BLASKA: aka: cancel culture] based on a relentless form of race consciousness that defies the modern American creed of judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.” In a country with 60 years of affirmative action and twice electing a black President!
This “critical approach has trickled down,” McWhorter writes, “into … education-school pedagogy and administration … and from there migrated … into the way they wind up running schools.” (Jennifer Cheatham, anyone?) McWhorter cites examples from California, Oregon, and Virginia, no less.
Our WI DPI is high on CRT!
Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction is no outlier. Some examples:
10 things every white teacher should know when talking about race
While teachers of color are certainly welcome to listen to this episode, I probably don’t have much to teach them. They’re miles ahead of me and most of us as white people, because their survival and success is dependent upon them understanding the racial “rules” in this country. (DPI link here.)
“Implicit biases can be difficult to identify because not only are they unconscious, but oftentimes those who hold the biases are well-intentioned.” (DPI link here.)
“Applying an Equity lens to … academic development. … discipline practices and policies … are disproportionately used to punish students of color and marginalized youth.” (DPI link here.)
Here, we openly examine the way that our own culture shapes what we value, what we assume to be “right” or “wrong”, and how we act on those values and assumptions. As schools have historically reflected the norms of the dominant culture, those of us of the dominant race or culture need to work especially hard to examine power, privilege and bias, to see the invisible. (DPI link here.)
Evaluate students regularly for multicultural learning. Test students on diversity knowledge and weigh it when grading papers and other assignments. Survey students on course inclusion of multicultural content. (DPI link here.)
→ For most of the last decade, the boss man at DPI was a fellow named Tony Evers. He’s now enjoying his first and last term as our governor.
Blaska’s Bottom Line: It is CRT wokeness that banished police from Madison public schools as being nothing more than modern-day slave catchers. Result: rolling school yard brawls, pepper spray, and ambulances.
Blaska Policy Werkes 