It seems the critical race theory movement is going beyond students. A group of private schools in New York City have adopted anti-racism training for parents as a part of the application process for prospective students, according to The New York Post. As you can imagine, some of the parents weren’t too chipper about it.
I grew up in predominantly white institutions. Looking back on the racism and microaggressions I endured from my peers was an eye opener. However, their behavior made more sense to me once my mother told me about her parallel experiences with the parents. Racist parents foster racist environments that teach their kids to be racist.
Then, those kids apply to go to schools like the ones I went to or The Brearley School, for example. According to a school letter obtained by the NY Post, they aim to condemn racism and ask parents to help them build an anti-racist community. Part of that includes “embracing diversity, equity and inclusion” through “school-mandated training, dialogue and behavior.” One dad, Andrew Gutmann, told the Post he snatched his daughter out of the school in protest of these conditions.
“They want parents indoctrinated the same way they want their kids,” he said. Oh, but Brearely wasn’t the only school forcing parents to get hip to the current climate.
Read about the other private NYC Schools from NY Post:
Grace Church High School In NoHo required children in 2020 sign a pledge promising that they would fight against “racial propaganda” and “interrupt biases.” The school said they had no plans to require the oath going forward, but refused to disavow it.
At Spence, another Upper East Side all-girls school, parents are “invited” to take part in “Courageous Conversation equity workshop” put on by Pacific Educational Group, a privately held DEI consulting shop based in San Francisco. On Twitter, PEG has declared “systemic racism” to be “deeply embedded in the fabric of this nation.”
Earlier this month, the Upper East Side’s Chapin School held a panel discussion for prospective parents to discuss the school’s “ongoing commitment to equity & inclusion, including our newest community-wide initiatives.” Though the Chapin gathering was declared optional, insiders said it was anything but.
It’s reasonable for a school to desire a class of students who aren’t racist. Consider the nearly nonstop racist incidents we’ve seen from elementary school to college in this past year alone. It’s shameful that these NYC schools must resort to these measures just to make a safe environment for their students of color.
Their training is necessary, though. The work must begin at home.