The most important races in the current election cycle might not be the ones you expect.  They are not the most high-profile.  In fact, these races are for offices that do not come with a paycheck, and there are more of them nationwide than for any other elected office.  Yet the impact of these races is significant because the constituency most directly affected is children.

Yes, the single most important vote you are likely to cast in this election cycle is for school board member.  We have reached a point in American life where school board elections will affect not only your children and family, but also your community and, ultimately, the future of the country.

School board elections are so important at this juncture in our nation's history because a very unpleasant academic movement has been insinuated into the education system.  Quietly, under the noses of busy parents who have been misled by pretty words, Critical Race Theory, an intellectual framework based on the premise that race is a socially constructed concept used to oppress and exploit people "of color," has gained a foothold on a national level throughout teacher training programs, curricula, activities, textbooks, literature, and other educational materials.

But wait, you say: Critical Race Theory has not come up in my school or district — how can that be when it pervades the education system nationwide?  That is because it arrived as a Trojan horse, under the other names, and its teachings have been embedded in trainings, curricula, programs, and activities in disingenuous ways.  It is virtually never called Critical Race Theory in materials given to parents and school board meeting agendas.  Its proponents say it promotes "Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity," words that sound so nice and kind, so warm and fuzzy.  Who could argue against having his children be more accepting of people's differences?  Who could oppose having his children be more willing to include children who differ from them in some way in their games, activities, and group of friends?  Doesn't everyone want all children to be treated fairly?

Unfortunately, programs and curricula that come under the heading of "Diversity, Inclusion, & Equity" are not engendering acceptance and fairness.  In reality, they are doing the exact opposite.  Under the camouflage of these oh, so nice–sounding headings, there is an active push for actual racism.  Within the context of "Diversity Training," teachers who have taught children of all races, ethnicities, incomes, and ability levels with fairness and care for years are being told they have "implicit biases" that they inflict on their students, consistently giving preferential treatment to white students.  In the post-training evaluation, they had better agree with this assessment of their treatment of the children who have been under their charge, or they stand a good chance of being called on the carpet at best, or fired at worst.  Most alarmingly, the teachers are expected to impose the concept of "implicit biases" on their students.

Within the scope of "helping" children become aware of their own youthful "implicit biases," white children are being taught to be ashamed of themselves because of something they cannot control — that because of their skin color, they are "oppressors" and worse.  Black children, and other non-white children, are being taught that white people, including their friends, their friends' parents, their teachers, and other adults, are "oppressors" and worse.  Children in kindergarten and younger are being subjected to Critical Race Theory indoctrination.

Critical Race Theory, under its various veneers, aims to destroy Dr. Martin Luther King's dream and sow the seeds of division in our communities.

The disturbing, yet simultaneously heartening aspect of this situation is that most parents are not in favor of Critical Race Theory being incorporated in school curricula and programs.  Opponents of Critical Race Theory include people of all colors, races, ethnicities, and political parties, and they do not want it inflicted on our children.  Dr. King's dream continues to ring true for most Americans.

Unfortunately, people are afraid to speak out against Critical Race Theory because of the likelihood that if they do, they will be labeled racist and they, and their children, will be attacked by a small but vocal and vicious minority on social media, at the playground, in places of business, in their homes, and elsewhere throughout their daily lives.  Make no mistake: the woke mob will come after those who speak out against Critical Race Theory.

However, it is possible to fight Critical Race Theory being incorporated into your school's curricula and programming!  And it is possible to remove it, even if it is already there!  There are more people who oppose Critical Race Theory than those who support it.  Because of this, it is necessary to find out where your candidates for school board stand on the issue.

Sadly, some candidates may not be aware that CRT has infiltrated their school or district.  Others may believe the CRT doublespeak and not understand how "Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity" programming could inculcate children with damaging ideas.  Other school board members and candidates are unwilling to speak out because they fear repercussions.  There are also candidates who support Critical Race Theory, and it is important to identify them and not vote for them.  Some of these candidates will say your district does not include Critical Race Theory in curriculum or programs, even though an examination of the district website indicates that it does.  With luck, there will also be candidates who oppose Critical Race Theory and fight it once elected.  However, some may not proclaim their position publicly because their opponents will call them racist.

Talk to your candidates for school board individually and find out their perspective on Critical Race Theory.  You can likely send them a Facebook message or email them through their websites to set up a meeting or call.  Do not be satisfied with a noncommittal answer — unless a candidate is willing to actively fight Critical Race Theory, he is de facto allowing children "to be judged by the color of their skin and not the content of their character," and working, even by inaction, for the destruction of Dr. King's dream:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today[.] ...

And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., August 28, 1963

Image: tom.arthur via Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

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