Parent University
On the North Andover Public Schools website there is a link for the Parent University
There are a great deal of resources fo parents on this page. We have not had time to review all of the content. For now we are focused on the heading
"Equity and Anti-Racism Part 1: Let's Talk About Race." Under this heading is a
Video by Curiculum Coordinator Kristen Ando
introducing the subject. Following that video is a
Resource Link
to the content which states "Below are a series of short resources to discuss issues of race and identity."
and asks parents to "Read/Watch one or more of these together as a family."
One video that stands out is a reading of the book
Not My Idea: a book about whiteness. This is the introduction to this book:
The video linked in the parent university stops before the pages at the end of the book. They can be found in this
video.
Is promoting that "Whiteness is a bad deal" or a "Contract binding you to whiteness" what you want your tax dollars spent promoting?
Another disturbing video is this:
Nick News Presents: Kids, Race, and Unity. This video prominenty
features "Black Lives Matter" and an interview with the Marxist founders of BLM as well as an interview with
Ibram X. Kendi, who believes "The only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. The only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination."
and "capitalism is essentially racist; racism is essentially capitalist."
The book Let's Talk About Race is actuallty a good book. The main character is
a black Jewish man (which the narrator skips over) born in 1939. He goes through how all race and ethnicities are essentially superficial, pointing out
we all have the same bones underneath.
The message is ruined by the editorializing of the narrator of the chosen reading of the book who doesn't even start the reading until
she spends 4 minutes editorializing. The reading was recorded after the murder of George Floyd. "Beyond the COVID virus, which is spreading, we are also combatting
a different kind of disease." “Some people believe that people with black or brown skin should not have the same rights or privileges as people
with white skin. This is called racism. And racism has happened in the United States for over 400 years.” Per the narrator she is directing this to
children as young as 3 years old.
The Day You Begin: focuses on Venezuela immigrant, and a black girl.
Book makes it apepar all the other kids were privileged.
Discusses other children having Summer vacation trips, and lunch shaming him for ethnic foods. Oddly discusses the monkey bars and games being too hard.
Venezuelan boy and black girl become friends. This is a heavy handed white/non-white dichotomy that treats all white children as privileged and
wealthy while making the assumptions that all others are poor and disadvantaged.
The Skin You Live In: Good story and age appropriate.
Video does end asking kids if the have a friend of a different color and what they like about them.
This negates the positive message that our skin is not what defines us.
A Kids Book About Racism: Not bad content wise, but quite boring and uninspiring
given the target audience age.
The following are quite good and age appropriate resources.
Happy In Our Skin
Skin Again
The Colors of Us
I am Perfectly Designed
Sesame Street: Lupita Nyong'o Loves Her Skin