Proving that Democrat governor George Wallace might have been quite prescient when infamously proclaiming in the 1960s, “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!” Twenty-first century Democrats are again singing that tune. The latest example is how a Denver-area elementary school has planned a “families of color playground night.” Proving that equality isn’t exactly the educators’ bag, there’s no report that they intend to hold a corresponding “people of no color playground night.”
In fact, there’s no report that people of no color have as yet been identified. (Of course, perhaps they just can’t be seen.) But The New American will be sure to apprise you of any such discovery being made.
The Washington Examiner reports on the Colorado story, writing:
Centennial Elementary School in Denver, Colorado, is under fire for its “Families of Color Playground Night,” according to a report.
Outrage was sparked after a photo of the school’s marquee board promoting the event was posted on social media by a writer on Tuesday.
“FAMILIES OF COLOR PLAYGROUND NIGHT,” it read. “WED 12/8 4:10 PM.”
“Denver Public Schools now promoting racially-segregated playtime — for ‘equity,'” the post read.
The special night occurs on the second Wednesday of the month, weather permitting, according to the school’s website.
“Our school leaders met with some of the black families whose children attend our school to determine ways for these families to feel more included in our school community,” a Denver Public Schools spokesperson said in a statement.
“Some of these families shared with us that, since the only time many of them see one another is at drop-off and pick-up times, we host some events where black families can meet one another, connect with one another, and share their experiences about the school with one another. We are honoring their request.”
The event is part of the district’s effort and commitment to foster and preserve inclusion and belonging, the statement said.
A picture of the marquee board along with some more information are below.
Note: Government schools are ever asking for more funding. But if they’re wasting money on a “Dean of Culture” (along with, perhaps, diversity and equity officers), perhaps their budget needs to be cut.
Fox News adds to the story, telling us:
The school’s Facebook page also contains a post advertising the event as well as one to introduce parents to the “Community Equity Collective.”
“In this first session, we will introduce the Equity Book Study and Equity Discussions which will alternate each month,” it read.
“We will be meeting the first Wednesday of every month. The book we will be reading this year is How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong, which we will discuss in November, January, March, and May. In alternating months, we will discuss another resource, topic, or equity-related theme. This first month, we will focus on getting to know each other and learning about how we can contribute to equity at Centennial.”
Of course and as many readers know, “equity” (“equality” is now passé) is now widely touted and is a euphemism for politically correct discrimination — i.e., that which disadvantages whites.
Some observers point out that Centennial’s race-based event is illegal under the Colorado Constitution. For example, Dave Kopel, research director at the Denver-based Independence Institute and a professor at the University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law, tweeted:
Kopel told The Federalist that, consequently, any Centennial family “excluded from the event would have standing to sue.”
“Here, however, the district might say that, notwithstanding the words used by the school, people of any color are welcome to attend,” the site relates him as adding.
This will likely be the default position, too — unless and until the Left can succeed in changing the law to allow for their preferred discrimination.
As for the school’s claim that it wants to make its black families feel “more included in our school community,” some may wonder how this is accomplished by creating a racially exclusive event.
Regardless, the solution is simple. If the Centennial black families or anyone else wants to have a racially or ethnically exclusive event, they can simply arrange it privately and hold it at a home, church, or community organization facility. Why does the government have to facilitate it?
This story, however, is no surprise, because segregation absolutely is a new woke value. For instance:
• We learned in January that a “Racial Justice Task Force” commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania had prescribed a “permanent shared space for black student-athletes.”
• Some Seattle region public agencies had implemented “race-segregated diversity trainings that teach employees, in the words of one training manual, to ‘accept responsibility for their own racism’ and ‘question the white power structure,’” wrote City Journal last year in “The New Segregation.”
• George Mason University held a separate orientation for black students in 2018.
• Some universities are offering special dorms wings for black students.
• It was reported in 2015 that a NYC school was asking third-graders their race and then dividing them into “affinity groups” (i.e., racial groups) for racial tolerance training (i.e., politically correct indoctrination).
Of course, there are many other examples, too.
So just as the Left, relativistic and thus rooted to nothing permanent, has gone from equality to equity and from “My body, my choice!” to “Get ‘vaccinated’ — no choice!” it has transitioned from opposing to proposing segregation. It continually moves the language goalposts, too.
Using the term “colored people” now would get you canceled, even though it was once standard. But “people of color” is currently okay. Given this, can we combat the “ugly American” stereotype by calling ourselves not Americans but “people of America”? Can thieves market their trade by rebranding themselves “people of thievery”?
This said, at issue are not exact synonyms. For “colored people” referred to a specific group (blacks) while “people of color” refers to everyone — that is, except whites. But does this imply, harking back to my opening paragraph, that whites are people of no color? Put differently, is the implication that they’re now invisible?
Hmm, well, not yet, anyway. The Left still needs whites as its highly visible whipping boy.
