In Guilford, peddling fear proves a winning strategy
School board primaries rarely get much attention, but this year’s Republican Board of Education primary in Guilford was notable for the central issue that pitted a group of political newcomers against more established incumbents: how race is being taught in public schools.
A contingent of activist candidates seized on the debate over “critical race theory,” arguing — incorrectly — that the efforts underway across schools to better teach how racism and racial attitudes have shaped American culture and society are detrimental and divisive.
They won. Five activists — Aly Passarelli, Tim Chamberlain, Nick Cusano, Danielle Scarpiello and Bill Maisano — who made criticism of the Guilford public schools the centerpiece of their campaign, ousted Republican incumbents for the right to represent the GOP in the general election in November. The debate is not Guilford’s alone; it’s happening elsewhere across the nation and in Connecticut, where the same divide has cropped up in other communities, including Glastonbury and New Canaan.
The message that underlies the arguments of the anti-Critical Race Theory crowd comes cloaked in the veneer of evenhandedness. In a Facebook message, they said they welcome instruction that offers “an honest, balanced view of our history and society,” while rejecting “attempts to use our schools to divide our children by race and political views.”
But the people fomenting division are these candidates, who — like so many others across the country right now — are turning to one of the oldest political tricks in the book: white fear.
The public message they will continue to sell is clear: White children are being made to feel bad, feel guilty. The subtext is no less obvious: The white-centric view of American history, of economics and culture is under attack. And if you are white, you are under attack as well.
This is an old song in a new wrapper. It’s George Bush evoking the specter of Willy Horton. It’s Donald Trump calling Mexicans rapists and drug dealers. Make white people afraid of losing the power, their privilege, their wealth and win an election. It’s no coincidence these arguments are taking place in upscale, largely white communities.
“Often they don’t really understand what it is, or they are deliberately trying to misinterpret what it is,” Ronald C. Schurin, a professor of political science at the University of Connecticut, told Courant Reporter Daniela Altimari. “There are people who argue that the focus is not just on a very legitimate examination on the role of race and racial discrimination in American history but rather a reinterpretation of all American history [through the lens of ] racial justice.”
The Republican school board primary in Guilford had incredibly high turnout — a testament not only to the effectiveness of the white fear strategy but the fervor of those who embrace this misguided approach. It is incumbent, therefore, on the more moderate forces in the Republican Party to seize back control of their party, to deliver an unequivocal message that they stand against hate and division.
There is nothing to fear from a more honest and complete view of American history, to studying atrocities like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921 and the Tuskegee experiments. This is not just Black history; it’s American history. Learn from the past. Commit to do better. There should be nothing scary about that.
But those who are peddling hate and fear, who know that one of the best ways to get high turnout is by making white people afraid, are dangerous. It is they we should fear. Their time in the spotlight needs to come to an end.