Of all the ridiculous ideas progressives are pushing in the education space, the idea of racial “affinity groups” has to rank among the top five. There was a time when words like “diversity” and “unity” reflected a near-universal desire to have people from differing backgrounds come together to work for the good of their communities and the nation as a whole. Unfortunately, what some Massachusetts school districts are promoting is something quite different.
According to an ABC 3340 exclusive, two school districts in the Bay State are pushing “anti-racist” affinity groups specifically for white teachers and staff members. The purpose is ostensibly to help white employees become more anti-racist by having them gather together to confront the evils of their inherent whiteness.
Two public school districts in Massachusetts, including the state’s largest, are promoting “anti-racist” affinity groups directed at White staff members.
Boston Public Schools (BPS) and Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) each provide resources and guidelines related to affinity groups online. Affinity groups are traditionally described as a group of staff members “linked by a common purpose, ideology or interest.”
Both BPS and PSB place an emphasis on creating “anti-racist” spaces, according to reviews of district resources conducted by advocacy group Parents Defending Education (PDE) and shared with Crisis in the Classroom (CITC).
In January, PSB launched “anti-racist” affinity groups directed towards White employees, according to the resources reviewed by PDE. In a flyer, PSB recommends that employees join the “anti-racist” groups if they have ever said certain statements, including “I feel guilty or sad about my whiteness” and “I want to examine my own racial habits and awareness.”
The districts have also pushed racial affinity groups for “BIPOC” (Black and Indigenous People of Color) and LGBTQ staff members.
For those who have lives and may not be familiar with what affinity groups are:
The Great Schools Partnership, a nonprofit educational organization, explained the purpose of affinity groups:
A racial affinity group is a group of people sharing a common race who gather with the intention of finding connection, support, and inspiration. Racial affinity groups can happen within any profession or organization, including education. These resources are specifically targeted to the development of racial affinity groups for educators of color where such groups can provide participants support to survive the racial isolation that exists in many schools and institutions. (By “educators,” we mean all staff people who work in a school, in any role.) These groups are retention tools which are specifically designed to provide support for educators of color and help them remain in the profession.
The notion that one should feel guilt or sadness due to their skin color or ethnic heritage is precisely the type of issue that progressives claim to oppose—when it concerns folks who are not white. Yet, these people, whether they intend to or not, are foisting these destructive attitudes on white staff members. Indeed, they won’t be happy until every white person in America is a self-loathing individual who can be easily manipulated by playing on white guilt.
That is what these affinity groups are about.
In these gatherings, white folks will be encouraged to discuss how their whiteness makes them culpable for racism in American society. Contrary to what they would have you believe, these groups are not designed to get people to assess whether they have engaged in racist behavior. Rather, it is an effort to convince them that they are racist even if they are not.
Does this sound familiar at all?
You might be familiar with the concept of “struggle sessions” used under Communist regimes. During these gatherings, people were publicly humiliated and compelled to confess their “sins.” The idea was to make the people more ideologically pure servants of the state through mental and emotional coercion and manipulation.
Of course, I’m not saying affinity groups are as extreme as what happens in North Korea, but the idea is similar. The objectives are the same. It is not about making people less racist; it is about making them more malleable and compliant and thus easier to control. Even further, it makes these individuals more effective purveyors of progressive propaganda to the children they are charged with indoctrinating.
