DURING THE PUBLIC COMMENT PART OF A meeting in June of the school board of Perrysburg, a suburb of Toledo, Ohio, speakers could raise any subject they wanted. Some spoke about efforts in the schools to combat racism. One white student passionately argued that more needed to be done. Another dismissed a particular anti-racism initiative as an intellectual fad. Others worried that such things could be camouflage for anti-white propaganda.
Tawiona Brown, the mother of 17-year-old student Josiah, says she hadn’t planned on speaking. Nonetheless, she stood up. To represent her son before and after a day at high school “from a parent’s perspective,” she said, she held two sheets of paper.
“Josiah, you like watermelon?” she said and crumpled one sheet. “You’re an n-word with a hard R,” she said and crumpled the paper some more, finally crushing it into a wad.
Then she held up the second, unwrinkled sheet. “When your babies come home to you, mentally, this is what they should look like,” she said.” Nice, even, smooth, nothing wrong.” Unfurling the crushed sheet, she continued. “When my baby—and he’s a big boy, and I still call him my baby—when he comes home to me, mentally, this is what I have to clean up with my son.”
The culture war skirmishes that have been raging in American schools over “critical race theory” and race-based programs and curricula are only likely to get more intense as kids across the country return to classrooms. So far, the loudest voices in those fights have tended to be those of white parents and students arguing about history and ideology. Often buried are the voices of Black kids and parents talking about lived experience.
This story is from the September 17, 2021 edition of Newsweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 17, 2021 edition of Newsweek.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The States Keeping Their Children Hungry
The Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer could help feed millions of children in households experiencing food insecurity, yet 13 states have declined to participate in the program
The Secret to Being an ADHD Whisperer
Loosening up and ceding control are some of the most important strategies for making life easier for a neurodiverse loved one
Fertility Clinics 2024
FOR THOSE LOOKING TO EXPAN D THEIR FAMILIES, FERTILITY CLINICS CAN BE A VITAL OPTION
'I AM ALWAYS IN THE MOMENT'
India's prime minister on his goals, his critics and his 'god-gifted' ability to listen
MODI'S MOMENT
INDIA'S LEADER is SHAPING the COUNTRY in his OWN ASSERTIVE IMAGE
Resurgence of Global Mayhem
While the world watches Gaza, ISIS is gaining strength and momentum, building networks and preparing for strikes worldwide
Is It Time to Leave Syria?
The U.S. is reportedly considering withdrawing from the country, with pressure from Damascus amid deepening unrest in the region. Is this the right move? Two experts weigh in
Chris Perfetti
IF YOU'RE ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS SINGING THE PRAISES of ABC's Abbott Elementary, fear not, they've heard you. \"We love to hear it,\" says Chris Perfetti, who plays Jacob Hill on the Emmy-winning sitcom about teachers at a Philadelphia public school.
Divine Intervention
POPE FRANCIS' PROGRESSIVE REPOSITIONING OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS CREATED BATTLE LINES BETWEEN ITS 1.3 BILLION FOLLOWERS, NO MORE SO THAN IN THE UNITED STATES
Who Rules Gaza When the Fighting Stops?
With no clear leader coming to the fore, questions remain about how the devastated territory will be managed