A public elementary school in Washington, D.C. gave children as young as four a lesson on “anti-racism” that asked them to identify “racist” members of their family. Students from pre-K through third grade at Janney Elementary School attended an “Anti-Racism Fight Club” presentation with speaker Doyin Richards, according to a letter from the school’s principal on November 30.
“As part of this work, each student has a fist book to help continue the dialogue at school and home,” Singh wrote. “We recognize that any time we engage topics such as race and equity, we may experience a variety of emotions. This is a normal part of the learning and growing process. As a school community we want to continue the dialogue with our students and understand this is just the beginning.”
“[White] people are a part of a society that benefits them in almost every instance,” the book argues. It is “as if white people walk around with an invisible force field because they hold all of the power in America.”
Students are asked, “Where do you see racism in yourself? This requires true soul-searching. Be real with yourself, don’t feel guilt/shame and own it. It’s the first step in becoming an anti-racist.”
The book also contains a section on “Dealing with Racist Family Members.”
Students were asked to list who in their family has racist beliefs, whether or not they can “change their ways” and how they “deal with them.”
In addition, a small section at the end for parents describes sessions titled, “Throat Punching Racism in Schools,” “CurbStomping Racism in the Workplace,” and “Choking Out Systemic Racism.”
According to Fox News, the school also sent parents an adult version of the book, which says “racism is as American as apple pie and baseball” and “if the police don’t murder citizens without penalty, then the riots/looting don’t happen.”
