SWS - You are only invited if you’re Black

[Anonymous]

Isn't this school sponsored separation by race illegal? I thought this activity became illegal in the 1960's in the US.

Prior to that time the races were separated at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, this is just classic SWS. In theory their Black affinity group (or whatever they are calling it) is probably meant to be analogous to the GDS group or the BSA-like group at Deal. Sure, we can argue that none of these race-based groups should exist at schools at all, but fact of the matter is that they do, and have for many many years. It is just how we do things in the US, or at least certain parts of the US.

But SWS uses this weird amped up language that makes people in their community who aren't completely on board with their approach to this issue feel like they're being shamed. FWIW, they do this with everything. Heaven forbid you question whether "joy" should come at the expense of academics, or whether it is a good thing for their teachers to be recommending ADHD meds so routinely. Question these things and you're a monster and not part of their "in" crowd. This is just par for the course with SWS. If you're a parent there, just get used to it. It is how they roll.

Yup exactly this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is technically an affinity group for everyone, white, black, poc, including native Americans, refugees, etc. to talk about their own issues. the messaging was always, ‘to begin with, we will offer these three groups’. There was messaging last year about room for others to be created. There are affinity groups everywhere, to make places more welcome, yoga studios, rock climbing gyms, and can be for any type of group, including for older people, overweight people, lgbtq+, wherever people need solidarity to enter a space currently or previously dominated by people unlike them. There is so much hoopla around this. When I see a comment comparing an affinity mgroup for black kids to a whites only men’s club from the 50s, when I see folks guffaw at the notion of systemic racism, I understand better the root of y’all’s drama and outrage…

There is not “technically” an affinity group for everyone. There are three. There’s a Black affinity group, which as far as I know is the only race based group that is getting school sponsored playdates. The entire school just got a second email about the “Black Family Social.”

There is the white affinity group which was directed to sit around and examine white racism.

And there’s a weird middle group where SWS lumped together: native born, refugees, multiracial/mixed race, or of immigrant status.

How is this not blatantly illegal?! A public taxpayer-funded school in 2023 should know better.

I beg you to please go to the white affinity group and demand for your play date. In fact, I’ll bring the popcorn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Ugh, this is just classic SWS. In theory their Black affinity group (or whatever they are calling it) is probably meant to be analogous to the GDS group or the BSA-like group at Deal. Sure, we can argue that none of these race-based groups should exist at schools at all, but fact of the matter is that they do, and have for many many years. It is just how we do things in the US, or at least certain parts of the US.

But SWS uses this weird amped up language that makes people in their community who aren't completely on board with their approach to this issue feel like they're being shamed. FWIW, they do this with everything. Heaven forbid you question whether "joy" should come at the expense of academics, or whether it is a good thing for their teachers to be recommending ADHD meds so routinely. Question these things and you're a monster and not part of their "in" crowd. This is just par for the course with SWS. If you're a parent there, just get used to it. It is how they roll.

Yup exactly this

You have a lot going on here. You moved from a conservative town to a liberal town and resent that people act on their liberal values.

You lotteried for and selected a school whose motto is ‘nothing without joy’ and resent that they have a focus on joy aka social emotional well-being.

And your kid is routinely recommended to take adhd meds by multiple teachers which you resent the teachers for.

We may not agree but I wish you luck!

[Anonymous]

This group already exists. You can find them on the playground in every neighborhood across DC. The invite, obviously, never goes out to their neighbors of color, classmates of color, or friends of color.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So … I get it. Black families have concerns that other races do not face. But the constant drumbeat of only focusing on one race at SWS is so off putting. The latest email from the school:

Dear SWS families,
As a part of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee's ongoing commitment to fostering a strong sense of community and inclusivity within our school, we are excited to invite all families of children who identify as Black and/or of African descent to the upcoming Black Family Social.

Date: Sunday, October 1
Time: 11AM-1PM
Location: Sherwood Playground (behind SWS)

This special event is designed to celebrate and embrace the rich tapestry of our school community, specifically focusing on families with children who identify as Black and/or of African descent. It's an opportunity to come together and to strengthen connections and support among those of us raising Black children.

The bold appears in the email, in case you thought you might be invited as a white, Asian or Hispanic person. How is this “fostering inclusivity”?

No worries, OP. There is a white affinity group for you at SWS where you and your fellow white people can reflect on your white privilege, anti-blackness, and the perpetuation of systemic racism. Here is the description:

"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: ********"

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This group already exists. You can find them on the playground in every neighborhood across DC. The invite, obviously, never goes out to their neighbors of color, classmates of color, or friends of color.

DP. This is inaccurate. We are a white (or White?) family who invited kids at the playground for playdates and birthday parties, including Black kids and other children of color. In preschool, they accepted but by elementary they had switched to private and wouldn't associate with us anymore.

[Anonymous]

SWS currently has a dismal feeder pattern- EH to eastern. Even if you “luck” out and can send your kid to Hobson, your kids aren’t exactly going to academic powerhouses. What would really help out black kids is ensuring a solid academic base. Many black and Latino kids in DC can’t afford kumon/mathnesium/private tutors. Ensuring a solid foundation in elementary will really get kids far, especially if you’re attending SH or EH and would like to apply for and attend school without walls.

But instead of this the schools focus is some stupid group for parents. Pathetic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:SWS currently has a dismal feeder pattern- EH to eastern. Even if you “luck” out and can send your kid to Hobson, your kids aren’t exactly going to academic powerhouses. What would really help out black kids is ensuring a solid academic base. Many black and Latino kids in DC can’t afford kumon/mathnesium/private tutors. Ensuring a solid foundation in elementary will really get kids far, especially if you’re attending SH or EH and would like to apply for and attend school without walls.

But instead of this the schools focus is some stupid group for parents. Pathetic.

SWS did a survey last year when they thought they were going to face funding cuts asking parents whether they would prefer to see cuts to Kindred/IDEA (SWS’s DEI program) or cuts to support for math/reading. I cannot fathom why they thought those two things were in the same universe of importance.

They never released the results of the survey.

[Anonymous]

Are these groups at every playground across the city public school sponsored groups that exclude children based on race?

Anonymous wrote:This group already exists. You can find them on the playground in every neighborhood across DC. The invite, obviously, never goes out to their neighbors of color, classmates of color, or friends of color.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So … I get it. Black families have concerns that other races do not face. But the constant drumbeat of only focusing on one race at SWS is so off putting. The latest email from the school:

Dear SWS families,
As a part of the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Committee's ongoing commitment to fostering a strong sense of community and inclusivity within our school, we are excited to invite all families of children who identify as Black and/or of African descent to the upcoming Black Family Social.

Date: Sunday, October 1
Time: 11AM-1PM
Location: Sherwood Playground (behind SWS)

This special event is designed to celebrate and embrace the rich tapestry of our school community, specifically focusing on families with children who identify as Black and/or of African descent. It's an opportunity to come together and to strengthen connections and support among those of us raising Black children.

The bold appears in the email, in case you thought you might be invited as a white, Asian or Hispanic person. How is this “fostering inclusivity”?

No worries, OP. There is a white affinity group for you at SWS where you and your fellow white people can reflect on your white privilege, anti-blackness, and the perpetuation of systemic racism. Here is the description:

"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: ********"

Enjoy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This group already exists. You can find them on the playground in every neighborhood across DC. The invite, obviously, never goes out to their neighbors of color, classmates of color, or friends of color.

DP. This is inaccurate. We are a white (or White?) family who invited kids at the playground for playdates and birthday parties, including Black kids and other children of color. In preschool, they accepted but by elementary they had switched to private and wouldn't associate with us anymore.

This topic sounds like a good topic to examine in the white affinity group. ‘Why do Black families stop talking to us again and again?’

[Anonymous]

WHat is the racial make up of the school? Are black families in the minority?

[Anonymous]

It is the definition of racism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WHat is the racial make up of the school? Are black families in the minority?

Black kids are 28%, white kids 54%, mixed 12%. Remaining 6% is everything else.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote: The announcement doesn't say anything about white people not being invited (unless I missed it?). It says the talks plan on focusing on a certain group. Anybody is welcome to come and participate as long as they are on topic.

Correct, it doesn't.

It does. It doesn’t say “whites are NOT invited”, but it says they are excited to invite “all families of children who identify as black.” If your child doesn’t identify as Black, you are not invited.

I honestly don't view this as anything different than having such an email for any other specialty group from parents of LGBTQ+ kids to parents of kids with special needs. Literally just don't care.

Most of the time those aren’t phrased in an exclusionary way, though.

Assuming this is legal, people are free to issue exclusionary invitations. But what they aren’t free to do is control other people’s reactions to being excluded, or be surprised when people react badly.

Well, maybe it's because of the millions of dollars being spent by Christian nationalists and others to stir up outrage about things exactly like this? I suspect that 75% of the people expressing their opposition don't live within 100 miles of DC.

And perhaps why suddenly there's a big long thread about it when affinity type groups and clubs have existed at schools for ages, whether it is the Black Student Union, Asian Student Union, Black Student Engineers, Girls who Code, etc (all clubs at JR, btw). My HS had these types of clubs 25 years ago, but now there's outrage?

It makes sense when the groups are a very small minority. Not a sizable portion of the student body.

Ah, so if 30% of girls at a particular school enroll in GotR, we should shut it down then. That's too many. Got it.

It's open to all girls, whether they run or not. They would welcome you if you were interested in learning to run. Do the affinity groups also welcome people who want to learn more but may not fit the profile?

But it’s not open to boys, and if there is no running club for boys (or similar athletic club) then it’s probably a title 9 violation

Is the school running Girls on the Run or volunteers? Girls on the Run is a separate organization, so not like the school football team.

As a father of two young boys, there is no way that I would foist them and their antics on to a bunch of young women on the run. They would completely ruin the vibe. Maybe two or three boys, but any more than that and they would be shoving and each other nonstop. I love my boys, but in larger groups it’s downright barbarism. The girls don’t need that and I don’t need the stress.


But the it’s fine to have gendered-based athletic clubs.

If you boys are shoving and behaving badly, you need to step up your parenting OR get them evaluated and help.

-Parent of a boy and a girl

Seriously right.

No - boys are going to push and shove because they find it to be fun, and if they do, so what? But I certainly don’t want them to mistakenly hurt a little girl. I want to give my boys space to be boys in appropriate spaces and among people that want to be part of the “fun.”

And I don’t want to endanger my boys by having the wrath of angry parents/teaches come down on them because some little girl got knocked over and lost a tooth. I have a right to protect my boys and don’t care how you feel about it.

So no - we’ll let the girls have their thing just fine without finding yet another way to suck the life out of boyhood.

Can’t win with you people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what they’d do if a white South African family or an Egyptian family showed up.

You do realize Egypt is in Africa and Black ppl also live in Egypt….🙃🙃🙃