Why do parents have such an issue with DEIB

[Anonymous]

I don't know why it's such a contentious issue with many of you. The amount of gaslighting and hyperbole that parents are buying into is disgusting and hurtful.

I have not seen a single assignment many of you claim has been included in curriculums. I would blow it off to trolls, but I've heard parents slip and admit that it will factor in their following school selection. They are so threatened by something they know nothing about.

I don't understand why.

[Anonymous]

Having a child in one of the top tier based only on outside subjective rankings....meaning nothing in actuality. The problem has been maybe two fold. One it becomes divisive with affinity groups and all the intersectionality pitting one group vs another. Two, being overkill on the black and gay experience in the curriculum. I being part of the hispanic community find at our school we get no recognition even though we are the fastest and mostly illegal growing group in the country. I think if the curriculum is robust, tempered between a classical and post classical world, we would be better served. I believe diversity is great, hate equity, inclusion and belonging awesome. So, the permeation over the last twenty years of education has now been seen to many as kind of corrosive to communities. We can do so much better. At my daughters school white families can only join the white anti racist group. I don't think any of them are racist. but if they are lgbtq they can find a group or if they were jewish. Reading Ibrahim Kenty vs Shakespeare is a no brainer...Shakespeare should win every time.

[Anonymous]

I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

+1. Awful books. Just awful. I’m African American and I recoil from the whole DEI enterprise. I’ll be over here with my Thomas Sowell and Glenn Loury waiting for the rest of the world to come to its senses.

[Anonymous]

I used to think the same as you OP. I thought DEI pushback was simply racist republicans being racists.

Then I read a proposed curriculum that asserted that Mathematics’ focus on students getting correct answers was indicative of white supremacist culture. I then looked into DEI further and was shocked to discover what is creeping into public school curriculums and lesson plans.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

That's probably not true. I am familiar with a lot of places in this city and I haven't heard off anything like that. I know that there are parents here that would believe that. I have no idea why that is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to think the same as you OP. I thought DEI pushback was simply racist republicans being racists.

Then I read a proposed curriculum that asserted that Mathematics’ focus on students getting correct answers was indicative of white supremacist culture. I then looked into DEI further and was shocked to discover what is creeping into public school curriculums and lesson plans.

This also isn't true. But again, I'm sure there are a lot of families that would believe it. Why are they falling for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

That's probably not true. I am familiar with a lot of places in this city and I haven't heard off anything like that. I know that there are parents here that would believe that. I have no idea why that is.

My workplace absolutely circulated a recommended reading list as part of some dumb pronouncement on a police shooting (one that was actually justified, not George Floyd) with Kendi books on it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to think the same as you OP. I thought DEI pushback was simply racist republicans being racists.

Then I read a proposed curriculum that asserted that Mathematics’ focus on students getting correct answers was indicative of white supremacist culture. I then looked into DEI further and was shocked to discover what is creeping into public school curriculums and lesson plans.

Where was this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to think the same as you OP. I thought DEI pushback was simply racist republicans being racists.

Then I read a proposed curriculum that asserted that Mathematics’ focus on students getting correct answers was indicative of white supremacist culture. I then looked into DEI further and was shocked to discover what is creeping into public school curriculums and lesson plans.

This also isn't true. But again, I'm sure there are a lot of families that would believe it. Why are they falling for it?

Probably because they see evidence of it in their own schools? A lot of people tried these schools and pulled their kids out based on what they actually observed. But keep pretending that people are just majorly inconveniencing themselves and switching schools for not reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

That's probably not true. I am familiar with a lot of places in this city and I haven't heard off anything like that. I know that there are parents here that would believe that. I have no idea why that is.

Not sure where you work, but if you were anywhere near a large law firm in a couple of years ago, you were heavily pressured to read these books in the most uncritical possible way. Speaking from experience, some of them even sent copies of the books to employees to read at home.

[Anonymous]

^ no reason

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

That's probably not true. I am familiar with a lot of places in this city and I haven't heard off anything like that. I know that there are parents here that would believe that. I have no idea why that is.

My workplace absolutely circulated a recommended reading list as part of some dumb pronouncement on a police shooting (one that was actually justified, not George Floyd) with Kendi books on it

So, if this is true, the mere reading list upset you? Nobody told you that you had to read the books. It's was just suggested and that bothered you.

That's not healthy behavior, and I'm not understanding why others aren't seeing it.

[Anonymous]

As someone who remembers their seventh grade teacher trying to convince the class that slaves were happy to be slaves, I am glad that we have evolved.

Oh, and those who are anti-DEI...that is just garden variety racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is really things like affinity groups, race essentialism, the white guilt complex and a skewed approach to history/social studies that make parents unhappy.

You need to take into account that many of us have now had a lot of experience with DEI programs at work, and that, as residents of DC, we have seen what some of the policy ideas mean for day-to-day life. I know a lot of workplaces all but required people to read books like White Fragility or Kendi books at some point. Those things haven’t left a positive impression, in many cases.

That's probably not true. I am familiar with a lot of places in this city and I haven't heard off anything like that. I know that there are parents here that would believe that. I have no idea why that is.

My workplace absolutely circulated a recommended reading list as part of some dumb pronouncement on a police shooting (one that was actually justified, not George Floyd) with Kendi books on it

So, if this is true, the mere reading list upset you? Nobody told you that you had to read the books. It's was just suggested and that bothered you.

That's not healthy behavior, and I'm not understanding why others aren't seeing it.

These things are only “suggestions” in the barest sense possible. You are expected to be on board with it. I dare you to openly criticize this kind of stuff at work.