The tribalist, white hating left. Do you think Martin Luther King would approve?

PICKET: Omaha public school stimulus money teaches kids to stop 'being a color-blind' society

Public schools in Omaha spent $130,000 in federal stimulus money on cultural diversity books for all 8,000 school staffers including: teachers, administrators, and even janitors that teaches that a color-blind society is not enough to end racism.

According to the Omaha World-Herald:

(bolding is mine)

The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,” that color-blindness will not end racism and that educators should “take action for social justice.”

The book says that teachers should acknowledge historical systemic oppression in schools, including racism, sexism, homophobia and “ableism,” defined by the authors as discrimination or prejudice against people with disabilities.

The authors argue that public school teachers must raise their cultural awareness to better serve minority students and improve academic achievement.

The Omaha school board approved buying 8,000 copies of the book — one for every employee, including members of the custodial staff — in April. The decision to buy the book was made 11-0, with board member Mary Ellen Drickey passing on the vote.

Janice Garnett, OPS assistant superintendent of human resources, said she could not recall another time that the district had bought copies of the same book to give to every staff member.

Unfortunately, this book has found it's way into school districts in San Diego, Maryland, Atlanta, and Canada already. Hans Bader at the Competitive Enterprise Institute writes at openmarket.org:

“Recognition and esteem are limited to non-white races, as the book insists that “white is a culture” that is “privileged” and therefore suspect. A representative of school district claims“that the book is intended only to ‘open a dialogue.’ But the book is filled with quizzes and tests that ensure that teachers hold the proper political views. If they don’t, they are instructed to report ‘what they will do to “align yourselves with the values expressed”’ in the book.”

This isn’t the only thing stimulus money was wasted on. The $800 billion stimulus package was so wasteful that two economists say it destroyed 550,000 jobs. Schools waste vast amounts of money, including millions on racist and Marxist ideologies masquerading asdiversity training.

Authors of the book, Franklin and Brenda CampbellJones and Randall B. Lindsey, reportedly say that the book is supposed “to prepare educators to unshackle themselves from tradition and become facilitators for reconciliation of historical injustices.”

Here are some examples cited by the authors of the book reported by the World Herald:

The authors ask readers to reflect on several hypothetical cases, including that of a gay “teacher of the year” afraid to post family photos of his male partner for his school's Family Day, an African-American parent upset by a sixth-grade Early-American Day because African-Americans were enslaved in those days, and a principal whose attempt to reach out to Muslim students backfires when he announces over the intercom that students should welcome Muslims though they “might believe in violence.”

Hypothetical indeed, if not a stretch. For a book whose supposed intention is to raise self-esteem, the authors' appear to want to make anyone who reads the lesson plan feel either angry, depressed, guilty, or dejected. Furthermore, cultural diversity books similar to the one bought in Nebraska have been used as litmus tests in other states reports the World Herald: (bolding is mine)

A primary concern of critics is that schools and universities could use cultural proficiency as an ideological litmus test and that the money put toward such programs could be better spent directly on academics.

In 2009 the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities drew criticism when a task force proposed introducing cultural competency requirements for its teacher candidates.

The task force proposed that future teachers, in order to be recommended for licensure, should “recognize and demonstrate understanding of white privilege,” fight for social justice and take tests to measure their “intercultural sensitivity” and “cultural intelligence.”

Among the critics were the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, a nonprofit watchdog group advocating individual rights at America's colleges and universities, which argued that the proposals intruded on matters of individual freedom and conscience.

The Nebraska Board of Education is considering drafting teacher standards that call for teachers to be “culturally competent,” a move spokeswoman Betty VanDeventer said is intended to make teachers more aware and respectful of children of all cultures. Last winter, board members authorized a 41-member committee of teachers, principals, parents and others to draft the standards.

The proposed standards call upon teachers to, among other things, connect with a student's traditions to move him toward academic success, use “culturally appropriate instructional strategies” and make sure tests are valid and address the diversity of students.

The draft standards do not include any of the social justice goals contained in the book acquired by OPS.

The state plans to hold forums this summer and fall on the draft standards. The Nebraska standards would be voluntary. Local districts could decide whether to adopt them.

Paul Peterson, director of the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University, and a senior fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution at Stanford University, said cultural proficiency is part of a broader agenda advocated by people “who think that we should have a teaching force that has a certain political perspective.”

The intent of those behind these indoctrination-like school programs that are endorsed and taught by labor members, many of whom are unfortunately trapped by the ideological demands of their unions, is to churn out politically pre-programmed social-jusitce progressive robots. How else will big labor be able to boost union membership in the future other than by force?