Tuesday, October 26, 2021

GET ME REWRITE: What happens when racists gain power on school boards across the country

 


Yahoo News, 10/20/2021
WAUKESHA, Wis. – The Waukesha School District believes in diversity and values individual differences, according to its mission statement. But new rules against classroom displays suggest otherwise, teachers say. 
Decorations signaling inclusion and acceptance are now forbidden. LGBTQ+ signs, rainbow flags, Black Lives Matter posters and "safe space" signs are off-limits because they're political and encourage advocacy, the suburban Milwaukee district told teachers this fall. Nationwide, other districts have followed suit – particularly those led by conservative boards.

Related reading:
While the city of Waukesha offers affordable housing, other more affluent parts of Waukesha County are a different story. Kori Schneider Peragine, who works for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, says there’s a long held theory about people who fled Milwaukee decades ago. 
“Communities that were sort of the recipients from white flight back in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s have more opposition to any potential diversity or affordable housing coming into their communities,” she says. 
The fair housing council recently settled a discrimination complaint against Waukesha County after alleging that it is not providing enough affordable housing, thus locking out minorities.

 

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