Guno צְבִי
We fight, We win, Am Yisrael Chai
A distinguished Black educational leader was hounded out of two different Georgia school districts within months of her hiring, as conservative groups and angry white parents protested what they falsely believed was the introduction of critical race theory (CRT) into their schools.
According to a new ProPublica report, educator Cecelia Lewis was by all accounts a beloved leader throughout her educational career.
When she left a position as a principal at a school in Maryland in 2021, they created a wall to honour her, featuring her signature signoff in messages to students, “If no one’s told you they care about you today, know that I do ... and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it!”
However, things took a turn as she prepared for a new job in Georgia’s Cherokee County School District, a newly created position focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work.
The district was initially enthusiastic about the new hire, mentioning Ms Lewis’s “impressive credentials and enthusiasm for the role,” and noting how the DEI initiative in the district “stems from input from parents, employees and students of colour.”
Ms Lewis told ProPublica she began getting strange calls from district administrators, warning her not to mention CRT, a concept she had never heard of.
Someone from the area even sent a letter to Ms Lewis’s old district, warning that they didn’t want a “Black Yankee” in their schools. People on social media began sharing “sightings” of Ms Lewis, even though she remained in Maryland ahead of the new school year.
Despite being a relatively niche academic concept until a few years ago, CRT has emerged as a bogeyman on the right.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/georgia-critical-race-theory-parents-b2103824.html
According to a new ProPublica report, educator Cecelia Lewis was by all accounts a beloved leader throughout her educational career.
When she left a position as a principal at a school in Maryland in 2021, they created a wall to honour her, featuring her signature signoff in messages to students, “If no one’s told you they care about you today, know that I do ... and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it!”
However, things took a turn as she prepared for a new job in Georgia’s Cherokee County School District, a newly created position focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) work.
The district was initially enthusiastic about the new hire, mentioning Ms Lewis’s “impressive credentials and enthusiasm for the role,” and noting how the DEI initiative in the district “stems from input from parents, employees and students of colour.”
Ms Lewis told ProPublica she began getting strange calls from district administrators, warning her not to mention CRT, a concept she had never heard of.
Someone from the area even sent a letter to Ms Lewis’s old district, warning that they didn’t want a “Black Yankee” in their schools. People on social media began sharing “sightings” of Ms Lewis, even though she remained in Maryland ahead of the new school year.
Despite being a relatively niche academic concept until a few years ago, CRT has emerged as a bogeyman on the right.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/georgia-critical-race-theory-parents-b2103824.html