By Bob Hertz
Rumor has it that Acton central leadership is exploring, to some degree, White-Privilege checklists, a spin-off of Critical Race Theory (CRT). These checklists, if they become policy, will result in a major change in the way we hire, advance or perhaps “re-educate” our staff. Why else use the lists?
I have contacted Town Manager Mangiaratti twice in the past month regarding my concern with the validity of these rumors. I have not received any response to date, so assume there must be some truth to the disclosures. Since the rumors only relate to town operations I have not requested response from the Acton/Boxborough Regional School District (A/B).
CRT, long a remote exercise of academics, has burst onto the American scene in the past year, and is now spreading throughout grade schools, universities, workplaces and our politics. The core theory of CRT is that white people are privileged and racist, and all others, especially black people, are oppressed. Racism and discrimination certainly are present in the US, although less so than in many other countries. These prejudices, and some well-meaning curative strategies, have caused significant damage through the ages, both here and abroad, and have produced substantial stains on our reputation. Although progress has been made, eradication of these ills is still a long way off. Bullying and bigotry are too frequent in our schools, workplace, neighborhoods, and between countries. These problems, showing the dark side of humanity, are deep-seated and long-existent. Uncivil behavior of young-and-old bullies and bigots should be dealt with through our schools and/or legal systems as necessary.
CRT is currently a hot-button topic. Many US communities are having second thoughts after seeing the methods of implementation, especially in grade schools. In reported examples, students are told they are bad because they are white, are told not to tell their parents about subject matter, are berated, often in front of classmates, for parroting beliefs long held by their families. Other curricula are bumped to make room for CRT sessions. Employees in work environments are asked to complete White-Privilege checklists. Universities discriminate on submissions. Is this helpful to curing racism, or damaging to the cause?
What problems are we trying to cure in Acton, and is CRT the solution? We seem to have a fairly diverse group of people, which is apparent in any graduating class. I would assume most families of Acton, of all backgrounds, are in the upper-middle-class earnings range and are fairly well schooled. Acton, like other communities, has our share of outwardly-prejudiced people. I believe the best resolve of racism and discrimination is accomplished by mixing our cultures and strata on an ongoing basis so as to become comfortable with each other. We must become a more tolerant society. This is happening, although slowly. We, as a community with a fairly-high living standard, can bring more diversity to Acton. We have a number of affordable housing initiatives under way. These should continue, and perhaps expand. We have a number of programs through our churches and other charitable organizations to help those in need – and well we should. Acton police have a creative program to keep juveniles who commit minor crimes out of the court system – certainly a worthwhile program which replaces retribution with learning experiences. These are examples of how Acton can play its part to beat racism.
Acton, I believe, now has a DEI Commission from which Mr. Li felt the need to resign (letter of resignation very informative), is hiring a DEI specialist for the Town and has a DEI specialist already on staff in the A/B schools. What is their purpose, and where are we headed? I hope we have leadership with reasoned, open and creative minds on our DEI Commission, and in our administrations. Some recent events suggest this might not be true in all cases. The Committee and new hires can be of help in laying out a path for improvement. I am afraid, however, that if Acton leadership is discussing use of White-Privilege checklists or other CRT concepts within Acton or A/B operations, we are on a very destructive path. I hope this is not the case.
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Teaching “CRT” is simply teaching the truth with a goal of eliminating racism. It is possible that it will be taught better by some and worse by others – just like math or English. But for our society to evolve away from the racism that is embedded in every aspect of our lives, it needs to be confronted.
Our nation was indeed founded with racism. Racism was the standard of human attitude and conduct all over the planet in the 18th century. And some of those attitudes are still built into the DNA of many people – whether we know it or not.
It is immoral to steal, to assault, to lie – we teach that in schools. It is also immoral to treat people differently because of the color of their skin or because of their ethic origins – that must be taught as well if we believe it. Do we all?
Bob, your article begins with a reference to a rumor. Can you please be more specific, when you discover some facts? How is a “white privilege check list” being applied or employed? The ones I have read are simply illuminating if one wants to uncover the subtleties of racism (intended or not). I admit a checklist like these can be unsettling and quite uncomfortable. But ignoring the truths of those questions is like ignoring Tulsa in our history books.
And “educating” town employees in better ways to treat the public that they interact with (and fellow employees) sounds pretty smart to me. What’s not to like?
Teaching CRT is not teaching that “all white people are bad”. It is teaching reality with an eye towards true justice. It will take generations to accomplish. Let’s drop the road blocks now.
Hi Bill,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. You articulate your position well.
In my view, it isn’t the public school’s job to indoctrinate our youth. Yes, teach them the truth about America’s past, warts and all. But the ideal should be to teach our kids “how to think” not “what to think,” and Critical Race Theory (CRT) steps well over the sensible line that all should be able to embrace and delves into something that is simply not supported by all parents.
The problem with CRT is that it divides our society, rather than unites it. Instead of the great American melting pot, it seeks to highlight and amplify our superficial differences.
If parents wish to teach their children that they are oppressors or victims, I guess that is up to them. But I don’t think this is, or should be, the school’s job.
I also don’t see how CRT has the goal of eliminating racism. I prefer the MLK goal of judging people on the content of their character, while CRT wants people judged on the color of their skin. I see it as a step backwards, not forwards.
Allen
Thank you Mr. Alstrom for your comments. I do not have any first-hand knowledge if or how the Acton/Boxborough school system is handling CRT and do not understand enough about teaching methods at A/B to draw a conclusion. I do know many parents around the country are upset by the implementation and processes their children (some very young) are being subjected to in school. These parents do not have the same reaction to math or English instruction. Social studies, or whatever it is called these days, doesn’t seem to arouse the same emotion in parents.
I assume some school districts are approaching CRT in a reasonable way. Some clearly are not, as the following hyperlinks will show. After reading the examples below, I can certainly see why parents are upset.
Examples below are not teaching, whatever they are:
https://nypost.com/2016/07/01/elite-k-8-school-teaches-white-students-theyre-born-racist/
In this lesson plan, of a private school, white students as young as 6 are reportedly taught that they are born racist and should feel guilty. White students are physically separated from other students and lectured about their whiteness while other students are praised and rewarded. I would guess the students quickly determine who is perceived good or bad. This school is still around and instructs others how to teach CRT. God help us.
https://tennesseestar.com/2020/08/22/parent-says-nashville-public-schools-teach-his-daughter-that-white-people-are-bad/
The lesson plan used by a teacher of a 2nd grade class reportedly claims white people are appalling racists, a statement the father interprets as white people are bad, mean and racist. The article does not address what the 7 year old thinks of the statement.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/lets-make-slave-lesson-lawsuit-dismissed-tennessee-77785408
In another instance, again in Nashville as reported by ABC News, a 4th grade black student was reportedly given a lesson entitled “Let’s Make a Slave” along with learning materials the parents felt were outrageous. The teacher did not challenge the claims in court but instead suggested he was entitled to qualified immunity, and the case was dismissed on a technicality. Now this teacher has his job back – anybody’s guess why. I imagine the sub-teen boy or girl (named John Doe by the court) is still shaken by the lesson.
These are a few of the reported examples where teachers and parents are willing to talk about the “teaching” problems being encountered. How much more goes unreported?
I agree wholeheartedly that the US, along with almost every other nation, has a discrimination and prejudice problem and needs to confront it. Is CRT “infusion” (their term)” really the best or even a suitable way to go about it? The problem is not only racism, but sexism, ancestral nationalism and so on. If by racism you are referring to slavery, you point out that it is about as old as mankind. In its early life it was not necessarily race based – white conquerors took whites, black victors took blacks and so on. Slavery is an ugly part of US history, as is our treatment of Native Americans and other minorities. We should teach these and like subjects in context and in a calm and controlled manner. Instead of separating students we should encourage them to be together. We should weed out bullies and bigots and handle them appropriately. As was stated to me recently, we need children to learn to live more “harmoniously”.
Addressing another of your points, I conveyed to Town administration, in several e-mails, my concern they are exploring use of White-Privilege checklists, an off-shoot of CRT, on Town staff. If such checklists are being utilized the administration has significantly changed how they conduct employee relations; and, as you say, added a little discomfort. I question whether it is fair game for a boss to request his subordinate fill out such a checklist in cases where no complaint is lodged. I also question whether it is necessary. Acton does not seem a particularly racist town and the Town staff seems reasonably friendly to residents and each other. If your leaders are exploring checklists, what other wonders are on the horizon? Acton might not be perfect but the 1970s adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” might well apply here.
The nation has a level of systemic racism. Blacks have been, and are, handled differently than whites. I would guess this is true of other groups as well. As you stated, racism is baked into our DNA (perhaps a tribal thing), although I hope less than in past generations. As a national problem it needs national solutions in the form of Federal-level legislation and changes in unfair processes. Unfortunately government programs and legislation of the recent past have proven less than helpful, as has much of the money thrown at this problem. Let’s hope our legislators get better at their job.
I would like to direct you to one more hyperlink of a mom who lived through the Mao Zedong Chinese Cultural Revolution and compares what she saw during that episode with what she is now seeing in CRT implementation. Her comments were made during a Loudoun County, Va. school board meeting. If she is correct everyone will be impacted by the movement currently underway. She has encapsulated all that need be said about CRT:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-xi-van-fleet-critical-race-theory-china-cultural-revolution-loudoun
By now you see I am not a CRT advocate. I am especially not a fan of those school administrations and teachers who have so mismanaged their educational charge. I don’t think CRT, as taught in the examples above, is just another form of civics instruction. I do think some educators are needlessly scaring the hell out of small kids.
Hi Alissa,
The things you mentioned (cheating, etc.) are based on individual traits and habits. What is at the very core of this type of training is that any individual is inherently one thing or another BECAUSE of their race. This actually has nothing to do with morality unless you are positing that someone, because of the color of their skin, has any moral inclination – good or bad. You and I agree that civics and history have such an important place in our lives – and that includes CRT. But it should be treated as just that- a theory, not as a justification to belittle/degrade/generalize individuals based on their skin color. Should my biracial nieces and nephews see the part of themselves as white as inherently racist? Is their black half inherently victimized? What about our Asian brothers and sisters? Or Jewish families? Are they oppressors or victimizers? As a firm believer in free speech and a lifelong Democrat, it’s worrisome to me that CRT proponents have divided the public as enlightened loyalists or racists. Discrimination is appalling anywhere by anyone. I encourage you to explore thinkers like John McWhorter, Bari Weiss, Bob Woodson, Bret Weinstein, and Thomas Chatterton Williams.
The true test of time will be if this type of sanctioned discrimination helps or hurts the communities of color that are purportedly being served. I genuinely say, here’s hoping, but am fearful it is doing the exact opposite.
CRT/DEI is definitely present in our schools.
This is a link to a presentation given at the September 17th School Committee meeting by ECARES, which stands for Educators Committed to Antiracism, Equity and Social Justice. That tells you everything, doesn’t it?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NTUXmOiVeTAXmBg0VYszeAiKT8ipqaZP/view
ECARES isn’t just a group of teachers agreeing with each other in the faculty lounge. The group has made their presence felt. The result is a toxic environment in the high school. Kids and educators are afraid to express opinions that go against the woke agenda. Some parents tell their children not to express their personal views for fear of retribution from teachers and peers. Even wearing a Colonials sweatshirt can bring accusations of racism. This has been brewing for years, but events of the last year of emboldened the illiberal left in our schools and our community to assert themselves.
Among their accomplishments, the ECARES presentation lists the “establishment of AB Students for Equity & Justice (ABSEJ).” ABSEJ claims credit for the “student-led” initiative to kill the Colonial mascot, even though adults claim to have created the group with the help of two recent alumni. Another alum from the class of 2016 never misses the opportunity to refer to herself as the “author of the petition” to kill the Colonial. Last summer, ECARES coerced as many staff, faculty and district employees as possible into reading How to Be an Antiracist by Ibrahim X. Kendi.
ECARES and ABSEJ have the School Committee supporting their common agenda. This link is to the packet from the March 11 School Committee Meeting.
https://www.abschools.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_216027/File/School%20Committee/Meeting%20Agendas%20and%20Minutes/NewFolder/03-11-21%20SC%20Packet.pdf
Page 65: draft a new policy GBAA: Commitment to an Inclusive and Representative Educator Workforce. I asked if this meant we’d stop hiring straight, white women until enough DEI boxes have been checked by the district’s HR department. Crickets.
Page 68: Revised Curriculum and Instructional Materials, which states four requirements, including “Curriculum and materials that are inclusive and culturally responsive” and “ongoing educator sensitivity training”. In this document, the District declares a responsibility to “foster a sense of civic and moral responsibility.” Isn’t that the parents’ job?
Instruction in morality and civics has always been a part of schooling in this country. https://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2246/Moral-Education.html
As long as it is decoupled from religion in the public schools, why wouldn’t we want moral instruction to occur in the classroom? Students spend so much time in community during their school years that standards around cheating, respect, honesty, civility, empathy, etc must be incorporated into their education. Civics instruction is mandated by the state.
Thank you Ms. Nicol for your comment and suggested reading, although I am not sure how it aligns with employee management practices or Acton-specific racism issues. The first paragraph of your recommended reading suggests the need for children to learn to “live more harmoniously”. I agree fully – all should live “harmoniously”. I am concerned the hoped for goal is being lost in the directives, processes and vessels of CRT delivery.
I have asked, several times, for Town administration to respond to rumors of White-Privilege checklists being used by our municipal leadership. If untrue, our leadership simply need say so. If true, residents should know what the specific administrative goals are, and what our leaders see as the actions and processes necessary to reach those goals. Acton management should publish the detailed job description for the soon to be hired DEI employee – perhaps on their website. Residents should know if Town leadership believes we have a significant racism problem within Acton staffing, or Acton in general. If so, how does leadership plan to address the problem? If not, leadership should explain the “what and why” of their endeavors. Residents of Acton should know these answers before administrators undertake a series of structural changes. Town Meeting might be the place to make some announcements.
In requesting this information, I used then-published articles of parent concerns of CRT and like programs being utilized by a number of school districts. At that time there was a dearth of employee-management reports which are just now starting to appear. They would have been more responsive, if available. I assume your comments are addressing my use of school examples. These examples show a country-wide CRT effort, undertaken by a number of school districts, to classify and separate groups by skin color, and to bluntly reeducate a particular group.
I do not associate “harmonious” with reports by distraught parents of students being separated and belittled and called bad (not CRT’s language but mine) often for problems not of their making. I don’t think we solve racism by the intimidation, draconian force or division being reported by these parents. A Loudoun County, Virginia school mom named Xi Van Fleet who lived through the China Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong describes, in a passionate one-minute speech, the parallels she sees between CRT implementation and the methods of implementation used by the Cultural Revolution – a sobering talk which along with follow-on comments can be found in a Fox News report of the June 12 school committee meeting – thus far, to the best of my knowledge, not challenged. Many parents, from school districts across the country, are presently banding together within their districts to change laws, institute legal actions or remove school board members. These mothers and fathers, likely not all racists and using their own resources, are concerned by the tools of implementation and processes of “infusion” (the reeducation term used in your suggested reading) they are seeing in their children’s classrooms. The claims of many parents from distant areas of the country suggest a number of CRT lesson plans and procedures are not “instruction”, but some other form of indoctrination. That said, my issue is not the schools but questions of Town management.
As stated earlier, I have asked the Town administration to respond to the rumored checklist use and purpose. Receiving no response, I am left to wonder. The checklists explored by Acton administration, and suggested by a nationwide CRT movement, clearly individualize the process. What will be done with the gathered information? Will it be matched with other accessible computer or media tracking files or with collected “snitch” tips? Once gathered, how will the information be used? Will we have “penalty” boxes? Are Acton’s employee-management actions an introductory step toward resident targeting? Without transparency the questions flow endlessly.
I do not agree with CRT methodology. Addressing systemic racism is long overdue, and requires Federal-level law and procedural changes which may well require changes at the voting booth as well as properly focused grass-root urging. I think it unlikely any program will eliminate discrimination, bullying or bigotry. Forcing CRT programs on all individuals, rather than those individuals whose activities are problematic, will needlessly heighten social tensions. Substantial reduction of prejudice and discrimination rests with people of all social backgrounds living together for long periods, learning, and teaching our children to tolerate and respect all characteristics of our neighbors, as they hopefully tolerate and respect ours. I understand the process is too slow for some, but it is effectively reducing prejudice and discrimination issues without tearing the country apart.
Bob, I participated in the DEI training along with other town employees. The “Privilege Worksheet” (I don’t understand why you continue to refer to it as a “White Privilege Worksheet”) was merely a preparatory exercise. They were not turned in, they were not shared with management or the facilitator, they were not even checked to see if participants had completed them. Employees were asked to complete them ahead of the training as a time saving strategy. These exercises/trainings have no bearing on hiring or evaluation.
Hi Bob,
If the town manager is ignoring you what you need to do is address the board of selectmen directly, John is terrified of them. I’ve seen it work numerous times, when someone contacts the BOS John springs into action.