Gov. Youngkin Has It Completely Backwards: In Fact, *Elimination* of Cultural Competence and Teaching About History Is What’s Inherently Divisive -…

by Jacqueline Woodbridge, Communications Director for the VA Senate Democratic Caucus

With Governor Youngkins Department of Education issuing an interim report regarding inherently divisive concepts in Virginias schools and VDOE resources, the Governor has begun a trend of institutional inertia that weve seen before.

In the beginnings of other movements in the United States and around the world to relegate certain people to second-class status, education has been a crucial part of erasing the validity of different cultures, races, religious beliefs, and other factors.

For example, the Third Reich in Germany indoctrinated students as young as 5 years old in a brainwashing experiment to institutionalize the notion of a superior race and inferior races. Hitler believed the purpose of state education was to burn into the hearts of students the importance of race. He removed all instruction on religion, and any curriculum had to be approved by the Nazi Partyentirely removing materials that included topics on racial equity. Membership in the Nazi Party was required for all public school teachers.

This propaganda legitimized among its citizens Germanys instigation of World War II based on the concept of Lebensraum, and enunciated the superiority of the Arian race.

Turning to Virginias history, Black Codes and Jim Crow laws refused certain education to Black studentsremoving any opportunity for them to participate in any occupation other than farm work or domestic jobs.

Eugenic ideology was propagated in public schools beginning in the 1910s, playing a key role in teacher training, curriculum development, and school organization. Eugenics became a top-down model of education reform for college educators.

Now, Virginia is veering toward a similar path.

Late last month, Governor Youngkin established a teacher tip line to root out teachers who are teaching inherently divisive concepts, the complaints of which are being hidden from public view.

The Governors Department of Education issued an interim report on programs being rescinded from Virginias education policies and resources, which includes:

Within these few examples, along with the other eliminations outlined in State Superintendent Jillian Balows interim report, echo an eerie warning: if we dont talk about race, how might a student interpret the world around them?

History tells us: students will interpret the world around them based on their own cultural and racial upbringing. Students will inherit the views of their parents and grandparents without learning through the lens of others cultural backgrounds.

Cultural competence is not inherently divisive. On the contrary; cultural competence develops empathy, understanding, and a willingness to listen to one anothers experiences.

Elimination of cultural competence is inherently divisive. Prohibiting instruction and student input on diverse experiences and histories explicitly divides children, and indoctrinates them into a society that is silent on inequity and injustice.

As Ian Kershaw said, the road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference.

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Gov. Youngkin Has It Completely Backwards: In Fact, *Elimination* of Cultural Competence and Teaching About History Is What's Inherently Divisive -...