Smashing ‘Whiteness’ in the Classroom

Ohio may be a red state with a Republican governor and state legislature, but the Ohio Department of Education kicked off this school year by promoting far-left, racialist, anti-police propaganda in the form of its recommended “Anti-Racist Allyship Starter Pack,” a resource for social studies teachers. The starter pack contains about 200 links to “antiracist” op-eds, essays, and blog posts, which exemplify what President Trump meant when he spoke of a “left-wing cultural revolution” in our schools “designed to overthrow the American revolution” in favor of “far-left fascism.”

The ODE recommended an article on “The Souls of White Folk.” The item notes that “during the 6th century CE, before the advent of Islam, Arabs worshipped tribal totems. The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) preached against this and other superstitious practices.” The author explains that Arabian elites used statues of stone and wood as a mechanism for controlling the people. Muhammed became “feared and hated” for “exposing the idols as false and powerless,” and in time, the idols “came to represent for the Muslim world the tribalism of a bygone era of un-enlightenment.” Islam emancipated the masses from pagan ignorance.

“America today, like Arabia then,” the author continues, “is a land of superstition and idolatry. Its chief idol is made of neither stone nor wood. It is a nearly 300 year old idea called whiteness.” The article concludes that “Whiteness is a stone idol in the mind of white people in America that must be smashed to pieces like the idols of pre-Islamic Arabia.” Unless that happens, “there is no absolution possible.”

{snip} The ODE recommended that teachers read “How White Womens’ [sic] Tears Threaten Black Existence,” “When Feminism is White Supremacy in Heels,” and “White People Have No Culture.” Teachers were also urged to read “In Defense of Looting” and “Forget ‘Looting,’ Capitalism is the Real Robbery.” A section on “protest safety” provided links to police scanner maps and an Instagram promotion for “Creature Finder,” a service that promises, “If your friend gets arrested in protests, our volunteers will team up to locate them.” More recommended reading: “The Case for Delegitimizing the Police,” “Abolish the Police?”, and “Yes, We Literally Mean Abolish the Police.”

The ODE has since taken down its link to the Anti-Racist Allyship Starter Pack. When asked why, a spokesperson explained that the department “recently adopted a formal filter through which to vet social studies resources” and thus was not yet “in a position to vet the almost 200 resources included in the Anti-Racist Allyship Starter Pack (nor did information in the pack itself indicate the criteria used to determine inclusion). {snip}

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