SWS has jumped the shark

[Anonymous]

Parents just received an email from the Principal asking them to join an affinity group. Here are the descriptions:

Black Affinity Group: An ongoing space for caregivers who identify as Black to connect, share experiences, and collaborate to address issues facing Black students and families. Contact: *******

People of Color Affinity Group: A supportive space for caregivers who are a part of racially and/or ethnically marginalized groups. This group will aim to give this diverse community a place to learn, explore, and understand both our connective experiences and our differences. We welcome all who identify as ‘“people of color.” This can include but not exclusively: native born, refugees, multiracial/mixed race, or of immigrant status. Contact: ********

White Affinity Group: This group will be taking time to unpack our own personal internalization, experiences, and perpetuation of whiteness and racism. Through self-reflection, journaling, and conversation, we will examine topics such as white privilege, allyship, and anti-blackness, in order to explicitly and intentionally increase our critical analysis, practice vulnerability and humility, form relationships of mutual support and challenge, and build our capacity for the ongoing work of anti-racism in our school community and beyond. Contact: ********

[Anonymous]

Jesus christ. The POC Affinity Group didn't bother me. I read your description and thought "so what."

And then. Then. Then I read the White Affinity Group. This is the exact kind of thing that keeps Trump a viable brand.

[Anonymous]

Part of me wants to chuckle at this but to be honest, as a white parent, I actually feel like I could benefit from a group designed to facilitate white parents talking to each other about parenting in a diverse environment. I often feel like I have no idea what I'm doing and it feels like there are a lot of minefields. But asking for support and advice also feels needy, like "ok everyone tell the white lady how to handle dress-up days during black history month because she's not sure what is appropriate/rude/offensive/expected."

It would probably backfire horribly but something about it sounds good -- a place to ask my dumb questions about stuff I don't understand or don't know how to handle without it being viewed as "centering" myself in a diverse environment.

I'm well intentioned but not all-knowing and would love some guidance in figuring this out.

[Anonymous]

What could go wrong? /s

[Anonymous]

Sounds like an awful school for racists! Jump ship quick!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jesus christ. The POC Affinity Group didn't bother me. I read your description and thought "so what."

And then. Then. Then I read the White Affinity Group. This is the exact kind of thing that keeps Trump a viable brand.

I agree that affinity groups based on race keep Trump viable.

[Anonymous]

WTF?

I would pull my kids out now.

[Anonymous]

People who are horrified by this are not my tribe. That said, I do wonder what they would expect from my family - mixed race kid, one white parent one black parent. Do we join different groups and compare notes?

[Anonymous]

No way I would join anything called a "white affinity group". All you need is for that to get taken out of context by somebody. No thank you.

[Anonymous]

ha ha no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No way I would join anything called a "white affinity group". All you need is for that to get taken out of context by somebody. No thank you.

This! The description is like insanely woke, but the title reads like something on a Klan CV. What were they thinking??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way I would join anything called a "white affinity group". All you need is for that to get taken out of context by somebody. No thank you.

This! The description is like insanely woke, but the title reads like something on a Klan CV. What were they thinking??

I hear you, but I also guarantee you that if they didn't include a group for white parents there would be an indignant post here about how SWS doesn't care about white families. Damned if you do . . .

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No way I would join anything called a "white affinity group". All you need is for that to get taken out of context by somebody. No thank you.

This! The description is like insanely woke, but the title reads like something on a Klan CV. What were they thinking??

I hear you, but I also guarantee you that if they didn't include a group for white parents there would be an indignant post here about how SWS doesn't care about white families. Damned if you do . . .

But the white group is only for self-flagellation.

[Anonymous]

This isn't even the most offensive email that SWS leadership has sent recently about which students and families are allowed to go to which events.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a problem with this as long as it's not mandatory. Then the people who are interested can do it, and others can skip. I agree that "white affinity group" is a horrible name, maybe they should have gone with something like "how to be an ally" which could cover the same kind of topics.