A campaigner is presenting a petition signed by more 4,000 people criticising “racially divisive” lessons for school children which he said were being promoted by Brighton and Hove City Council.
The petition, started by former teacher Adrian Hart, author of the Myth of Racist Kids, said: “Brighton and Hove is an anti-racist city. We are proud to live in a city where racist violence and abuse is a rarity.
“Which is why we are shocked by the council’s decision to promote a racially divisive policy throughout Brighton’s schools.
“Brighton and Hove City Council has begun to educate governors, heads, staff, parents and even pupils based on their race.
“White children will be taught that they are ‘privileged’ while non-white children will be taught that they are victims of their white classmates.
“This warped ideology is known as ‘Critical Race Theory’ (CRT).
“The council is urging schools to take their ‘racial literacy’ training without consulting the public.
“It refuses requests made under the Freedom of Information Act to view the training materials, claiming that this violates the ‘commercial interests’ of the training providers.
“The council’s ‘Anti-Racist Schools Strategy’ document identifies citizens with an ethical objection to CRT, including ‘some BAME parents’, as ‘potential barriers to implementation’.
“To describe dissenting views in this way while favouring commercial interests is patronising and anti-democratic.
“We are calling on the council to
– Consult widely with citizens about the decision to adopt CRT as a defining framework for the council’s work, taking particular care to seek the opinions of parents given the statement by the Minister for Women and Equalities making it clear that CRT should not be taught in schools as fact.
– Be transparent about its anti-racist training by publishing a full exposition of its content for public scrutiny and comment.
– Show evidence to residents that, as a public authority, its actions in schools are lawful in relation to the Education Act 1996 (sections 406 and 407), section 78 of the Education Act 2002 and the Public Sector Equality Duty (section 149 1c) ‘the duty to foster good relations between groups’.
…
“Our children should be taught in a politically neutral sphere, in which they learn how to think, as opposed to what to think.
“We must not be divided – by reactionary racists or culture warriors – who refuse to see us as individuals beyond our skin colour.”
Mr Hart is due to present his petition this afternoon (Monday 10 January) to the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee. The meeting at Hove Town Hall is scheduled to start at 4pm.
CRT is Cllr Hannah Clare’s great gift to the city.
4000 signatures, I hope the LA and administration take note. Well done to Adrian for all his campaigning around this issue.
Oh hooray, let’s keep importing more nonsense from the U.S. of A. That’s worked out so well for them. This is a purposefully divisive non-issue and you know it.
This stupid policy is likely to cause more racial prejudice where it currently does not exist. If I was the parent of a white child I would be furious that he or she would be taught that they are privileged because of their skin colour.
I’m pleased someone is standing up to this. I did this course and it was divisive and just not very good. Additionally, the most shocking thing was instead of just organising a documentary which people could watch at a time when the council claims it is short of money it cost a fortune getting consultants in to deliver this.
All this comment section does is reinforce the need for training. If as an adult you still haven’t learned that having a white face gives you an advantage over others there’s clearly more work to be done. Look at health outcomes, life expectancy, stop and arrest rates, poverty, education; almost any socio-economic metric supports this.
People don’t want to hear it. The prevailing attitude is that racism is bad, but that only foaming neo-nazis count as racists. That lets everyone else feel comfy and lets them ignore their own biases or the structural inequalities present around them.
Adrian Hart is just wanting the council to commission his training instead. There is so much myth around CRT but as with most things it is a framework which can be used effectively of misused.