Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow Eric Kaufmann has a new report and original survey data that came out on April 7 on the “social construction of racism.” He concludes that ideology, partisanship, social media, and education influence Americans to perceive more racism than they did in previous years.
Across a range of surveys (including his own) Kaufmann found that:
• Ideology—and, to a lesser degree, social media exposure and university education—has heightened people’s perceptions of racism.
• Depression and anxiety are linked to perceiving more racism.
• The level of racism in society reported by whites appears to be driven more by political leaning than the level reported by blacks.
• Liberal whites are more supportive of punitive critical race theory postulates than blacks, who aspire to agency and resilience.
• Critical race theory appeared to have a detrimental effect on African-Americans’ feeling of being in control of their lives.
• As much as half of reported racism may be ideologically or psychologically conditioned, and the rise in the proportion of Americans claiming racism to be an important problem is largely socially constructed.
For the full report click here.
Listen to Eric Kaufman’s interview with Charlie Kirk below.
New Jersey Passes Bill that Requires "Social Justice" and Racism Education in Public Schools
New Jersey lawmakers would like public schools to be held more accountable when it comes to teaching black history. Last month, lawmakers passed a bill that, if signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, would make it a requirement for schools to learn about racism and social justice in order to graduate.
“Our children will learn about Black history and not just being a slave,” said Assemblywoman Angela McKnight (D., Hudson), one of the bill’s sponsors. “We will know the contributions that Black people continue to do.”
The new law will complement the state’s Amistad law, which requires public schools to incorporate African American history. Her bill will put the Amistad Commission under the state Department of Education, tighten regulations and oversight, and mandate professional development for teachers.
Students in high schools across the region have been pushing for changes this year after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. They want schools to address systemic racism and implicit bias among staff and students.
New Jersey and Pennsylvania require history to be taught, but districts decide the content of their courses.
Cherry Hill East, a school system noted by the Inquirer as “predominantly white,” would be the first school in the state to mandate the course on African-American history in order to graduate. The course was proposed by the students after a Black Lives Matter protest in the spring.
Pleasantville first-grade teacher Tamar LaSure-Owens, who has been leading a charge to infuse Black history into everyday lessons, believes the latest legislation would help teachers better present historically accurate and culturally sensitive information about all races.
“We need training,’ said LaSure-Owens, who has helped develop a model Black history curriculum at the Leeds Avenue School. “We need a curriculum that we can put our hands on.”
Full the full story click here.
Report: AZ Education Department “Equity Toolkit” Reveals Racism Starts as Young as 3 Months Old
An “equity toolkit” created by the Arizona Department of Education reportedly includes an infographic which states that children as young as three months old can be racist, according to a report from the Daily Caller which cites Discovery Institute scholar, Christopher Rufo.
The Daily Caller reports:
The toolkit shows a spectrum of children from birth to ages over six, with the title “They’re not too young to talk about race!” It cites a study that shows at birth, “babies look equally at faces of all races. At 3 months, babies look more at faces that match the race of their caregivers.
By 30 months old, children use race to choose playmates, and at ages 4 and 5, “expressions of racial prejudice often peak.”
By five, Black and Latinx children in research settings show no preference toward their own groups compared to Whites; White children at this age remain strongly biased in favor of whiteness,” the graphic says, citing a 2008 study.
SCOOP: The Arizona Department of Education has created an "equity" toolkit claiming that babies show the first signs of racism at three months old and that white children "remain strongly biased in favor of whiteness" by age five.
Let's review the resources in the toolkit. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/g4Sk6X0VuO
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 2, 2021
“Silence about race reinforces racism by letting children draw their own conclusions based on what they see,” states the infographic.
A document titled “How White Parents Can Talk To Their Kids About Race” urges parents to address “anti-racism” even “before their children can speak.”
For the full report, click HERE.