Thread by @AmoneyResists

Parents who think it’s racist for their children to be taught about slavery and racism in school are a great example of why we need to teach our children about slavery and racism in school.

Just watch this interview with Patti Hidalgo Menders, a mother of six who is fighting against the equity and inclusion curriculum in Leesburg, Virginia. I’m gonna break down every ridiculous thing this woman says.

She opens by saying that her county (Loudon, VA) is the wealthiest in the country and therefore “there’s not a lot of racism.” The notion that wealth precludes or reduces racism is false. Wealthy people tend to be better educated; but they are not inherently any less prejudiced.

She then adds, without a molecule of self-awareness, “there are silly people who say stupid things, but if you talk about it less you’re gonna notice that division less.” People of color do not have the luxury to opt out of being subjected to racism. She of course cannot relate.

She adds “I’ve seen the curriculum. It is definitely racist. They are putting children down for the color of their skin.”

“Racism against white people” is not a thing. White people have never been oppressed in human history. They were always the oppressors. This is just a fact.

She is then asked for an example of the “racism” she’s referring to and cites a rap song taught to 6th graders that mentioned the genocide of Native Americans at the hands of people like Andrew Jackson. It’s clear that a factual account of American history makes her uncomfortable

She actually utters the words “At what point do you forgive and stop segregating?” She doesn’t seem to have any idea what segregation is. And she wants everyone to forgive the atrocities of colonial white people by erasing them from the curriculum; something neo-Nazis advocate.

But it gets worse: “And then it becomes less about merit and more about ‘oh we’ve gotta give the people of color this advantage. Let’s keep feeling sorry for them.” Teaching what actually happened to indigenous Americans and slaves does not give students of color “an advantage”

“But I don’t look at a person based on their skin color, I look at them based on their character.” So many white people think this kind of statement makes them sound less racist. It doesn’t. It just shows you refuse to accept that racism and prejudice still exist & are ubiquitous

This next part made my head explode.

Reporter: “What about all the young black men who would love to be able to not be judged by the color of their skin?”

Patti: “Do you think it’s the color of their skin or their actions? How they’re dressed. How they’re perceived.”

These are among the most common racial stereotypes and misconceptions that white people use to justify blaming people of color for the mistreatment they continue to suffer at our hands. She goes on to demonstrate just how clueless she is about the reality that POC face every day.

She then asks “If you have a kid that gets pulled over by a cop, does it really matter what color they are?”

Yes, Patti, since people of color are more than 8x more likely to be stopped; more than 5x more likely to be detained; and more than 3x more likely TO BE KILLED by police

The reporter then asks her whether it’s a solution to not talk about racism and she says “in schools. Shouldn’t it be up to the parents to teach that to the children?”

Patti, you are not qualified to teach this to your children. Who trusts Patti to teach her kids about racism?

Reporter then asks her “How do you teach students about slavery without mentioning race?” And she says “I’m not an educator, I’m a parent.”

We know, Patti. But given how you JUST SAID you should be the one teaching your kids this stuff, you should probably come up with something

Reporter: “So @GlennYoungkin’s your guy”

Patti: “Yes. He doesn’t want to push this racism narrative. He wants to give kids a good education.”

Again, teaching what actually happened to people of color at the hands of white people is not racism; it’s American history.

This woman is a microcosm of why racism and slavery must be taught by educators in schools and why parents cannot be the ones dictating the curriculum. And if you’re a white person learning about it from a good teacher, it SHOULD make you uncomfortable. Because it’s fucking awful

We cannot leave it to parents like this who don’t even know the meaning of the words racism or segregation to teach their children about it. Teachers should encourage these parents to educate themselves or learn from their kids

If you live in VA, please vote for @TerryMcAuliffe

P.S. The version of U.S. history that is taught in schools is already sanitized to absolve white people for enslaving an entire race & then half of us going to WAR over our “right” to OWN people of color thanks to the “United Daughters of the Confederacy”