Teachers from Tennessee to Iowa are swept up in a wave of outrage led by GOP politicians nationwide over how schools teach kids about race in U.S. history.
Racism
Michigan Advance’s David Hecker writes, “Michigan can and should be a place where every child, regardless of race or ZIP code, has the opportunity to get a quality public education that will set them on a path to success. But we’re not there yet, and it is incumbent on all of us to do the work necessary to strengthen public schools for all students, and specifically to ensure our classrooms are safe, empowering spaces for Black, Indigenous and other students of color.”
From statehouses to Congress, Republicans have launched into a fight against the teaching of “critical race theory,” which just a year ago was a niche academic term. Experts in critical race theory say it’s about acknowledging how racial disparities are embedded in U.S history and society, and the concept is being mischaracterized by conservatives. But GOP lawmakers in the past few months have succeeded in pushing it to the top of state legislative agendas.
Jarvis DeBerry writes, “[…] in the U.S., neither a Black woman’s money, education or status serves as protection from mistreatment in labor and delivery. Financially secure Black women with Ivy League degrees have to worry just like those with less money and education if doctors or nurses will do (or not do) something that costs them their lives or their babies’ lives.”
WSV’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, “One gets weary. Not including last week, Newsweek reports that an additional 181 Black people have been murdered at the hands of police since George Floyd, and it hasn’t been a year. When Derek Chauvin’s verdict was read last week, I did not rejoice. I did not feel excitement of any sort. I was in total shock witnessing the anomaly of accountability of a police officer. This never happens.”
WSV’s Malachi Carter and guest Laurie Butler continue their discussion concerning the verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer, was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd.
WSV’s Malachi Carter and guest Laurie Butler discuss the verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial. Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on George Floyd’s neck for more than 9 minutes last year, was convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
As part of WSV’s “Badass Women” series, Columnist Amanda Yearling honors figure skater Surya Bonaly, who Yearling says is “powerful, unrelenting, and forever pushing the boundaries of the sport.”
University of Michigan professor Melissa Borja says that as the COVID-19 pandemic enters its second year in Michigan, she’s concerned that acts of anti-Asian hate in America are on the rise.
WSV’s Torrey Brown writes about an offensive Valentine’s Day themed image that circulated through the Los Angeles Police Department last week. The image makes light of George Floyd — who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 — with a caption that read, “You take my breath away.”
This episode is a follow-up from Episode 11, Unconditioning Racist language. A+scribe and Pastor Colby Hill explore what racist language looks like in the church context as Black Christians navigating three intersecting worlds: blackness, whiteness and the religious spaces that host each (exclusively and/or collectively).
At a work session Monday, members of the Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Board of Education (BOE) participated along with staff and administrators in an instructional dialogue on racial disparities and justice in schools. The session was facilitated by Dr. Brandy Lovelady Mitchell, who is the Director of Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion for Kent Intermediate School District. The session was structured around a key priority identified in the TRCS strategic plan, assuring a safe and secure environment for students, both physically and emotionally.
At its regular meeting Monday, the Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Board of Education (BOE) voted unanimously to adopt a statement on racial justice it has been discussing and revising since a draft was first introduced at a July meeting.
“When land, air, and water are devalued and exploited for their resources, the people living in those places (more often people of color) are dehumanized and exploited as well. Conversely, when the earth is cared for, the people on that earth are cared for.”
The Three Rivers Community Schools Board of Education reviewed a draft of a racism and social justice statement at a work session Monday, for refinement and adoption at a future meeting.
“As a white man I am not held responsible in the court of public opinion for the crimes of my fellow whites. There are a few on Twitter who have tried, but it hasn’t really taken hold. Mostly I get to be me. Every time someone meets me, it’s a clean slate. A clean white slate.”
“Please excuse my blackness, I was born this way. My hair naturally curls, and the bass in my voice ain’t going away. Please excuse my blackness, I just want to buy a cigar. I’m not trying to steal anything, you are taking this too far.”
“White Americans, no matter their profession or standing in life, can no longer stand silent. We can no longer quietly judge the actions of others and hope the problem will fix itself, because it won’t.”