Recently I attended a school board meeting in the Valley of the Sun, Chandler, AZ. It was a warm evening but hundreds of parents and grandparents showed up. This is not unique to Chandler, parents are now WOKE to Critical Race Theory and are pushing back against teacher unions and school boards across the country.
The meeting was spirited and parents were vocal but it wasn't until it was over that I learned that I had been attacked by one of the school board members before I even showed up for the event! If you are white and are opposed to CRT you get called a racist. What do you get called if you are black and oppose CRT? Read below:
This morning, while minding my business, I received a call alerting me that James T Harris was on his radio show telling people to come protest me and my critical race theory agenda.
My first response was, what’s a James T Harris? After I was told about his morning show called “The Circus” and Googled him, my response was, “Oh, so he's telling everyone he's a clown already then.”
My second question was what is the critical race theory agenda I'm pushing tonight? Then I looked at my agenda again and remembered that there was a statement which says, “There have been a number of erroneous reports that Chandler Unified School District is using the Critical Race Theory. Neither the Board nor Administration have had any discussions related to the exploration, adoption or implementation of the Critical Race Theory in Chandler Unified School District.”
So then, my next response was, this man obviously can’t read. Then I was told it was because of my request to attend the CUBE conference, which has been deemed a “CRT conference” by Mr. Harris with guest speakers such as Edward James Olmos of “Stand and Deliver” and “Selena” fame.
So then I cackled because 1.) People are listening to a legit clown and 2.) My name is not Kimberlé Crenshaw and I'm not a CRT scholar. That would be more the other Love sisters realm. However, it's not a theory anyone with sense should be fearful of, especially in K-12 where it's simply not taught.
But, these Purples for Parents and their affiliate hate groups are predictable. They will use Clown T Harris to weaponize the community against black women in leadership as they do with any BIPOC pick me. It goes back to slavery. For further exploration of the topic, look up Stephen in Django Unchained. But, Stephen was a house slave and there were certain fears of violent repercussions when challenging white supremacy. The same could be said for Mr. Harris, but he makes a conscious choice to be a token amidst a sea of other options. He’s going to feel safe as assured in his actions to be a tool to these hate groups taking over board meetings because he's getting approval from his white viewership. But underneath his actions is a deep generational trauma. It's a part of the Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome (P.T.S.S) that Dr. Joy Degruy speaks to.
Dr. Degruy suggests, “P.T.S.S. is a theory that explains the etiology of many of the adaptive survival behaviors in African American communities throughout the United States and the Diaspora. It is a condition that exists as a consequence of multigenerational oppression of Africans and their descendants resulting from centuries of chattel slavery. A form of slavery which was predicated on the belief that African Americans were inherently/genetically inferior to whites. This was then followed by institutionalized racism which continues to perpetuate injury.”
Oh, and for those freaking out, Dr. Degruy’s theory isn't taught in K-12 either. You can calm down.
It is a shame that this black man is using his platform to incite violence towards me, another black person, whom he has deemed expendable in his goal towards acceptance. But this happens to black women all the time; we get hurt by the very people we are fighting for all the time.
It is a shame that this black man is using his platform to incite violence towards me, another black person, whom he has deemed expendable in his goal towards acceptance. But this happens to black women all the time; we get hurt by the very people we are fighting for all the time.
But, Mr. Harris, it's June, which means Juneteenth is upon us. Here's a link for those who are having trouble keeping up (https://www.history.com/.amp/news/what-is-juneteenth). Instead of being a tool, you could always honor our ancestors by liberating yourself. You don't have to be a clown anymore. You can pack up the circus and go home. You can seek out a therapist to discuss your internalized racism and your hate for black women.
And there you have it. In Ms. Love's world the fact that I am black, married, raised a family and have had a successful career in teaching, speaking and media mean nothing. I suffer from P.T.T.S. because I oppose C.R.T.!
This is why we must oppose the teaching of Critical Race Theory. It's poisons the mind and corrodes the soul.