*I am an immigrant who came from Korea. I serve many Korean families in Orange County through Children’s Ministries. Many Asians came here for a better life in America. Many risked their lives to escape a Communistic Regime. Communism uses propaganda to control people’s thinking. They control the media outlets and distort truth. They are mass manipulators for the sake of governmental oppression. They turn kids against their parents. I have lived in America for two decades and I can tell you, we are tip toeing on the edge of socialistic communism. This breaks my heart for America. The unions are behind these beliefs and yet teachers are too busy to notice. Teachers might think their union protects them, but when oppression ripens, no one is immune from its captivity. – Jinah Yi, Orange Unified School District parent, California.
Brenda Lebsack has been a teacher in Orange County, California for over twenty-five years, and most recently a board member in the Orange Unified School District (OUSD). Lebsack has been increasingly concerned about the progressive political creep into California education and as a member of the union has been very forward in voicing her opinion that the current political agenda in California schools is robbing students of a quality education. Recently Lebsack sounded the alarm in her school district after discovering and reviewing the proposed new Black Lives Matter (BLM) curriculum that is being floated as a part of the new school year. Says Lebsack in an exclusive statement to Redstate:
The National and state teachers union endorses Black Lives Matter and their K-12 curriculum. Within the BLM curriculum are teachings that Gender is the child’s CHOICE based on the child’s feelings. These choices encompass: Boy, Girl, Both, Neither or SOMETHING ELSE. (the CDE says this choice can be made as young as TWO). The NEA partners with the Human Rights Campaign who has created preschool lessons teaching unlimited gender choices. The National Educators Association and ACSA (Administrators Calif School Association) recommend these “welcoming school” lessons for our primary school children.
Parents and many school employees pushed back against the BLM insurgence in their own district last month when BLM organizations began issuing guidelines for new curriculums and included a push to completely defund police presence in LAUSD schools. Having failed in Los Angeles (for now), BLM activists have been focusing on pushing their curriculum and political agenda into other districts. Last Thursday night, the Orange Unified School District held a meeting to discuss (among other agenda items) the plans for reopening campuses. A shockingly diverse and large group of parents logged into the virtual platform in force to express their concerns about the disturbing new curriculum incursions brought to their attention by Lebsack.
*I am a Lesbian parent and grandparent...Please do not assume all LGBTQ individuals think alike politically. Just as teachers are very diverse in their opinions and political affiliations, so are people who identify as LGBT. As a Lesbian parent and grandparent, I am not in favor of Black Lives Matter Curriculum in Schools that the Teachers Union ( CTA and NEA) endorses. First of all, BLM promotes gender ideologies I feel are harmful to children. Their mission statement says they want to DISMANTLE the idea that gender is biologically determined. WHY? They say their movement is based on SCIENCE, yet their Science says kids can CHOOSE their gender as boy, girl, BOTH, NEITHER or SOMETHING ELSE. SOMETHING ELSE?!? That’s an OPEN ENDED Pandora Box. What kind of science does BLM practice? – Christina Gonzalez, OUSD parent, California
The NEA and the CTA have already given their stamp of approval to BLM curriculum resources. That means those resources will be added to the resource library of every district in the state, leaving the decision to teach the agenda up to individual schools and teachers. Not one parent or legislator voted on the appropriateness of the lessons, but simply by virtue of being available in the resource library, it is now a legal part of the California public education resource.
* I am a concerned member of the community who is also African-American…The last thing our children , from Kindergarten all the way to High School, need is to be feed any curriculum that seeks to indoctrinate and propagandize towards a Marxist/ultra progressive agenda. Our children need exposure to ideas that celebrate cultural diversity, community, care, forgiveness and free-thought.Our kids and their parents do not have a one size fits all life experience. Even among our families of color, political though and ideas are as diverse as their culture. I am afraid the very narrow focused BLM curriculum, will train our children to become radicalized and rob them of the ability to think for themselves and to have a more diverse, balanced and effective understanding of race, equality and social justice concerns. –S. Turner, Orange County, California
Teaching about equality and racial injustice seems benign and even necessary to the logical thinker. That is until one actually sees the approved BLM lesson guides as promoted by the NEA and CTA. Not only does the agenda include baldly communist talking points, it oddly includes the wedging in of gay and transgender centered curriculum and activism.
*These concepts do not belong in the schools. Parents can teach their kids at home according to their family, cultural or religious values. The teachers union endorsement of BLM curriculum is an assault on parental rights and an assault on the fiber of our country – Gheorghe Rosca, OUSD parent, California
A cursory perusal of the CTA’s classroom resources yields so much heavy-handed BLM jargon that it is nearly impossible to isolate just one thing that could set parents on edge for the new school year. You can view their resources, talking points, and recommendations here.
Here is one “educational” graphic that defines white supremacy in its overt and covert forms. Some of the more eye-raising offenses on the white supremacy list include:
- Make America Great Again
- Paternalism (that would be FATHERS for all you out there who don’t speak Communist)
- Claiming there’s only one “human race”
- The “myth” of meritocracy
- All Lives Matter
- Good intentions
The teachers union endorsed AB 329, the Calif Healthy Youth Act, which removed the requirement of Parent Permission Slips for Sex Education for ALL grades levels. How is this in the best interest of parents and families? The Teachers Union now endorses Black Lives Matter. Though it might sound great from the outside, that candy coating melts fast when you look inside. – Jade Ausmus, OUSD parent, California
The list goes on and on and feels more like a Marxist talking point list with every passing letter. The CTA page also provides a very helpful glossary of social justice terms (and redefine “racism” while they’re at it) that teachers can use to help their classroom discussions.
Decolonization: Work toward undoing, dismantling the effects of the oppressor/oppressed regime or structures imposed by a colonial power. For a classroom, this can mean unlearning and removing oppressive curriculum, language, images, norms, etc. (Sources 1
Racism: A system (consisting of structures, policies, practices and norms) that structures opportunity and assigns value based on socially constructed categories of people. It unfairly disadvantages some individuals and communities and provides advantages and access to others. The system of racism does not allow the realization of one’s full potential because it denies access to resources, power and privilege.
Whiteness: Like race, whiteness is a social construct rather than an essential characteristic or biological fact; is used as cultural property, and provides resources, power and privilege to those who are considered white, pass as white, or are given “honorary” white status
White Fragility: Describes the disbelieving defensiveness that white people exhibit when their ideas about race and racism are challenged—and particularly when they feel implicated in white supremacy. (Source: Robin DiAngelo). “White tears” are a symptom of white fragility.
White Privilege: The resources, power and privilege provided to people who are considered white; an exemption of social, political, and/or economic burdens placed on BIPOC; benefitting from societal structuring that prioritizes white people and whiteness.
White Savior Complex: Refers to a white person who assumes that folks of color need their “help” and “saving.” We see this trope play out in the media, racist curriculum and histories, choices made about traveling abroad, foreign policy, organizational structures and more. (Sources: 1 2)
White Supremacy: A historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression of continents, nations and peoples of color by white people for the purpose of maintaining and defending a system of resources, power and privilege.
Perhaps the biggest indictment against the Black Lives Matter curriculum incursion (outside of its unapologetic communist core) is the inclusion of LGBT issues that, in fact, are not embraced by the Black community in general, and no student group is off-limits. The NEA has also posted to their library coloring books for pre-school and elementary students in multiple languages that include Marxist ideation, buzzwords, and LGBT-driven issues.
For high schoolers, curriculum materials can include gems like this essay on why white people hate protests and a reading guide for Marxist thought.
The story continues to unfold under the noses of overwhelmed parents across the state and country. It is clear that few people in power are stopping to even take a breath before fundamentally changing the trajectory of the American public school system. If the parents at Thursday night’s school board meeting are any indication, the teachers’ unions and the state dictators may have a bigger fight on their hands than they were prepared for.
*Part Two of this story will publish later this week and will include a larger insight into the BLM curriculum, how one teacher has risked union threats and vitriol to alert parents to the creeping communist agenda in their schools, and how school administrators responded to her warnings.
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