Lesson: ‘You’re racist’

‘Privilege’ training for San Diego teachers

A school district in San Diego held “white privilege” training for teachers in which they were told, “you are racist” and were asked to commit to becoming “anti-racist” in the classroom, according to a report.

The San Diego Unified School District began the sessions with instructors telling the faculty members that they will experience “guilt, anger, apathy, frustration, closed-mindedness, defensiveness” due to their “white fragility,” according to leaked documents obtained by journalist Christopher F. Rufo.

During the voluntary training, the teachers were taught about “land acknowledgment,” the practice of recognizing that the United States was established on stolen Native American land, Rufo reported.

They also learned about the teachings of “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi, author of “Be Antiracist: A Journal for Awareness, Reflection and Action.”

After watching clips of the two authors, the trainers reportedly told the group, “You are racist,” and “You are upholding racist ideas, structures and policies.” The group was challenged to become “antiracist” in their classrooms as well as to “confront and examine [their] white privilege” and “teach others to see their privilege,” according to Rufo.

The school district said hundreds of teachers chose to attend the professional development session, which was based on Anneliese A. Singh’s “Racial Healing Handbook.”

“We are a majority-minority district with a majority white teacher workforce. The ability to hold honest conversations about race with grace is important, which is why we offered the training and why so many teachers elected to enroll,” a district spokeswoman said in a statement.

“Our students benefit from being able to talk about race and other difficult issues, regardless of their background. Most of all, we believe every open and sincere conversation about race — no matter how it begins — provides an opportunity to learn from one another, for hearts to open and for minds to grow.”

Earlier this year, the district overhauled its grading system as a part of a larger effort to combat racial discrimination, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Data had revealed that there were significant disparities between the percentage of white and minority students who received “D” or “F” grades in the first semester of the last school year.

In an effort to prevent discrimination, the school board voted to eliminate nonacademic factors, such as late work and classroom behavior, in determining grades.

“This is part of our honest reckoning as a school district,” said Richard Barrera, the district’s vice president, according to KNSD-TV.