I recently read a letter that took my mind to what Washington and Lee University will soon decide: the innocence of George Washington’s philanthropy in 1796 and Robert E. Lee’s stewardship in 1870. I have two friends in mind, and I hope they push back against the intellectual-yet-inexperienced (AKA woke authoritarians). Here’s to preserving Enlightenment Liberalism in schools everywhere.
Some of us actually work around the real world, in which we are all minorities somewhere. Many of us work in global industries, where moving others to “yes” requires flexibility and tolerance. Many of us lead diverse teams of co-workers, who need open-and-honest discussions, rather than virtue-signaling forums. If you’re part of this out-group, then this letter to private-school parents in New York is a must read (edited for brevity).
April 13, 2021
Dear Fellow Brearley Parents,
Our family recently made the decision not to re-enroll our daughter at Brearley [because] we no longer believe the administration and Board have our children’s best interests at heart. We no longer have confidence that a Brearley education develops responsible, enlightened, and civic-minded adults. I write to you, as a fellow parent, to share our reasons for leaving the Brearley community but also to urge you to act before the damage to the school, to its community, and to your own child’s education is irreparable.
It cannot be stated strongly enough that Brearley’s obsession with race must stop. Brearley has so appeased an illiberal mob, the school has been captured by that same mob. My own views on Brearley’s antiracism initiatives (see below) are but a handful of the criticisms other parents have also expressed.
I object to a school that not only judges my daughter by the color of her skin, but encourages and instructs her to prejudge others by theirs. By viewing everything through the lens of skin color and race, we are desecrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his movement.
I object to the view of “systemic racism” at our school. Systemic racism is segregated schools, separate lunch counters, interning Japanese-American, and Nazi extermination of Jews – rather than isolated incidences since the civil rights reforms of the 1960s. Any misrepresentation of history obscures today’s societal issues; especially when policies, such as affirmative action, point in precisely the opposite direction.
I object to Brearley’s belief that an educational or societal outcome is prima facie evidence of white supremacy [or] oppression. Facile beliefs are the polar opposite to the intellectual truth for which Brearley claims to stand. Further, [today’s] Brearley does not welcome the difficult and uncomfortable conversations [needed to repair] racial discrepancies.
I object to critical race theory, which suggests Blacks should forever be regarded as helpless victims, incapable of success because of minority status. Brearley’s anti-racism training for parents is insulting and unbecoming of any educational institution.
I object to Brearley’s use of words such as “equity” (when admissions shows preference for legacies, siblings, and rich families), “diversity” (when students and families are indoctrinated to a single mindset), and “inclusiveness” (when the school teaches there are only two groups in this country: victims and oppressors).
I object to the gutting of the history and civics curriculums, and the censorship of classic literature that might offend modern social-issue sensitivity (something that has already happened in my daughter’s 4th grade class). Schools like Brearley are supposed to train tomorrow’s leaders, but our nation will not survive a generation of students taught to hate its own country and despise its history.
I object that Brearley has begun to teach what to think, instead of how to think. The school is fostering an environment where our daughter and her teachers are afraid to speak their minds for fear of “consequences.” I object to Brearley trying to usurp the role of parents in teaching morality, and bullying parents to adopt that false morality at home. I object that Brearley is fostering a community where races are now segregated into two.
Over the past several months, I have personally spoken to many Brearley parents [who also] believe antiracism policies are misguided and divisive. Many believe these policies will ultimately destroy a wonderful educational institution, but most parents are too fearful to speak up.
But speak up you must. There is strength in numbers, and I assure you the numbers are there. Contact the administration and the Board of Trustees and demand an end to antiracism policy. And, if changes are not forthcoming, demand new leadership. For the sake of our community and, most of all, our children, silence is no longer an option.
Respectfully,
Andrew Guttman