D.C. elementary school students instructed to identify racists in own families

Facebook / Janney Elementary School

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Students aged between four and eight at the Janney Elementary School in Washington D.C. were treated to an “Anti-Racism Fight Club” and instructed to identify racists in their own families last November.

The Daily Mail reports that a November 30 letter from school principal Danielle Singh asked parents of pre-K through third grade students to follow up on the presentation, which was hosted by speaker Doyin Richards.

Richards, a self-described “anti-racism facilitator,” is a Slate writer, “TEDx speaker,” “liberal,” and “feminist” according to his social media profiles. He leads workshops on social justice.

In her letter, Singh instructed parents to look through Richards’ “Anti-racism Fight Club fist book for kids” to facilitate conversations about race and social justice with their very young children at home.

“Today students in grades pre-k through third grade participated in the Anti-Racism Fight Club presentation with Doyin Richards,' Singh wrote. 'As part of this work, each student has a fist book to help continue the dialogue at school and home.”

The “fist book” contains instructions on how children can think about race, including how people are either advantaged or disadvantaged based on their skin colour. It also includes instructions on how to discuss race with family members, and details in various ways how black people are disadvantaged compared to white people.

This is what they're teaching kids in pre-school these days. This "anti-racism fist book" was taught to students in Janney Elementary School in Washington DC. pic.twitter.com/1UtJokMbkh

— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) May 6, 2022

As detailed by the Political Insider, the “fist book” asks, “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.”

It also asks: “Who in your family has racist beliefs? What is your strategy for dealing with them?”

Popular conservative Twitter account, Libs of TikTok published pages from the “fist book,” which includes a number of worksheets encouraging students to accuse family members of racism.

“Another worksheet in the anti-racism handbook given to elementary students says that if a student doesn’t see racism in their life, it means they aren’t paying attention,” wrote the account, providing an example of the corresponding worksheet.

Another worksheet in the anti-racism handbook given to elementary students says that if a student doesn’t see racism in their life, it means they aren’t paying attention. pic.twitter.com/ccW8azSL6w

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) May 2, 2022

“White students were taught that they benefit from white privilege and are asked to reflect on white privilege in their lives,” wrote Libs of TikTok with another worksheet instructing students to reflect upon their racial privilege.