How schools around the country are secretly teaching CRT trends now
A teachers union in Virginia has been called out for promoting a Black Lives Matter organization that allegedly 'advances racial justice' and tells kids to 'work towards a queer-affirming network.'
The Virginia Education Association released a toolkit last month encouraging members to join the Black Lives Matter At School organization's 'week of Action' which began on February 6.
A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece accused the union of 'using its pipeline to teachers to promote the teaching of a left-wing political agenda and activism.'
The toolkit reportedly shows how teachers can get around a ban on critical race theory, which has been blocked in dozens of states across the US including Virginia where Gov. Glenn Youngkin banned it in 2021.
The 'week of action' focuses on the organization's 13 principles, which include 'transgender affirming,' 'queer affirming,' 'restorative justice' and 'globalism.'
The Virginia Education Association (VEA) released the toolkit that pushes an initiative called the Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action
A recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece claims the toolkit and the BLM event is how they use its pipeline to 'promote the teaching of a left-wing political agenda and activism'
The VEA's toolkit was released along with the statement: 'Enclosed is Virginia Education Association's Black Lives Matter at School Toolkit to be used as a resource guide for advancing racial justice in Virginia's schools. Black Lives Matter at School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education.'
The union encouraged its members to participate and offered an instruction manual 'to be used as a resource guide for advancing racial justice in Virginia's schools,' according to a memo by Taisha Steele, director of the Human and Civil Rights division at the VEA.
The WSJ opinion piece translated 'advancing racial justice' as 'following the highly politicized agenda of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.'
The column went on to claim that the toolkit materials promote the organization and its principles which include: 'working towards a queer-affirming network where heteronormative thinking no longer exists,' and 'the disruption of Western nuclear family dynamics and a return to the 'collective village' that takes care of each other.'
There are lesson plans in the toolkit that link to resources to discussions about how to analyze the importance/significance of the 13 core principles to their local community and to think about how they can get involved in the BLM movement or other causes.
Artwork created by students during the Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action were compiled in a video tiled 2023 Student Creative Challenge that asks 'How can a school community support you in being unapologetically Black?'
The artwork conveys messages from students on how they support the BLM organization by making 'flags and marching' and 'writing a 'report on a black person.'
Artwork done by students during the Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action
Some of the artwork has messages and images of ways to support the BLM movement
Students shared their own feelings about being black or supporting the BLM movement
Students created art showing their pride for who they are along with calls for a stop to racism
VEA President James Fedderman released a statement about the toolkit:
'As is stated on the first page, the goal of the toolkit is to inspire an ongoing movement of critical reflection and honest conversation on issues of racial justice,' he said in a statement.
'Some people, like Governor Youngkin, find this to be an objectional stance, but we are unapologetic in our support of this goal. As a union of public school educators, we seek nothing more than to present an accurate portrayal of America's past,
