A Virginia mom who grew up in Maoist China has slammed Critical Race Theory (CRT) during a contentious school board meeting on Wednesday.
Xi Van Fleet told members of the Loudoun County School Board that she is ‘very alarmed’ by the teaching of CRT, which she says ‘trains children to be social justice warriors and to loathe their country and their history.’
‘This is indeed the American version of the Chinese Cultural Revolution,’ Van Fleet declared.
‘Critical Race Theory has its roots in cultural Marxism. It should have no place in our school.’
Over the past year, numerous public and private schools across the US have recently opted to incorporate CRT into their teachings. The theory asserts that ‘institutions are inherently racist and that race itself… is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color’, according to Texas A&M University professor Tommy Curry.
While Loudoun County Public Schools say they are not officially using CRT in their classrooms, they have pledged to push for ‘equity’ and have begun using many CRT ‘buzzwords and concepts’.
That decision has angered many locals in Loudoun County – which is located just outside of Washington, D.C. and is the wealthiest county in the entire country.
Virginia mom Xi Van Fleet, who grew up in Maoist China, slammed Critical Race Theory (CRT) during a contentious school board meeting on Wednesday.
While Loudoun County Public Schools say they are not officially using CRT in their classrooms, they have pledged to push for ‘equity’ and have begun using many CRT ‘buzzwords and concepts’
Speaking at Wednesday’s school board meeting – which was filled with dozens of concerned parents, Van Fleet further detailed her experience in Maoist China.
‘The Communist regime used the same critical theory to divide people. The only difference is they used class instead of race,’ she stated, adding that CRT was ‘neo-racist’.
‘We were taught to denounce our heritage, and Red Guards destroyed anything that is not communist…statues, books and anything else. We were also encouraged to report on each other, just like the Student Equity Ambassador program and the bias reporting system,’ Van Fleet added, referring to new initiatives set up in Loudoun County public schools.
According to Fox News, who obtained a full transcript of Van Fleet’s speech, the mom explained that she managed to flee China at the age of 26, before settling in the United States.
I felt like it’s such a free country, meaning I have free access to all sorts of information – books on both sides of the issues,’ she stated.
However, now, Van Fleet says she feels that some of that freedom is being taken away, saying:’ I can’t really just say what I mean, even though the other side can say whatever,. To me, and to a lot of Chinese, it is heartbreaking that we escaped communism and now we experience communism here.’
Lilit Vanetsyan, who teaches in neighboring Fairfax County, Virginia, also spoke at the Loudoun County School Board meeting on Wednesday night
Meanwhile, multiple concerned parents are also speaking out about CRT.
Lilit Vanetsyan, who teaches in neighboring Fairfax County, Virginia, also spoke at the Loudoun County School Board meeting on Wednesday night.
‘Parents, the longer that you wait and don’t have your child’s schools accountable, gives these guys more time to dictate what’s best for your child’s physical, mental, and emotional health,’ Vanetsyan declared.
She then also directly addressed students, saying: ‘You are on the front lines of these indoctrination camps. Challenge the staff when you are presented with a ludicrous statement, and do not allow anybody to tell you that you cannot accomplish anything because of your skin color, or to hate yourself because of your skin color.
‘Students, it is up to you to be the next generation of victims, or victors.’
A push to incorporate CRT ‘buzzwords and concepts’ has angered many locals in Loudoun County – which is located just outside of Washington, D.C. and is the wealthiest county in the entire country
There is a slide available on Loudoun County Public School’s Equity Partner’s websites, ‘Racial Equity Tools’, which details characteristics of ‘White Supremacy Culture’
Vanetsyan’s speech comes after educator Monica Gill – who teaches AP Government in Loudoun County, Virginia – told Fox News that the school district’s push for ‘inclusion’ has ironically fueled further division in her upper-crust community.
‘We’re told that we’re living in a county that’s suffering from systemic racism and I think that that whole notion has done nothing but damage our community and our school since they began pushing equity,’ she said back in April.
‘I can tell you, one thing that’s for sure, it has been disruptive because there are parents who disagree with this ideology, there are teachers who disagree with it, there are students who disagree with it — and it is harmful,’ she stated.
Loudoun parent Scott Mineo has started the Parents Against Critical Race Theory website, which tracks the use of CRT in classrooms.
Monica Gill – who teaches AP Government in Loudoun County, Virginia – told Fox News that the school district’s push for ‘inclusion’ has ironically fueled further division in her upper-crust community
According to one post on the website, there is a slide available on Loudoun County Public School’s Equity Partner’s websites, ‘Racial Equity Tools’, which details characteristics of ‘White Supremacy Culture’.
Characteristics include ‘worship of the written word’, ‘paternalism’, and ‘either/or thinking’.
Meanwhile, some parents have even claimed that opponents of CRT are ‘racist’.
Last week, TV cameras caught the moment that a parent was flipped off by a neighbor as she explained how friends and family had turned on her because she spoke out against the teaching of CRT.
Mom-of-two Jessica Mendez told Fox News that she has been branded a racist after attempting to block the controversial lessons.
‘I had my own family criticize me openly, and asked me you know, what’s wrong with me? You know, why didn’t I understand? , told the interviewer for Fox News.
But during the interview, a neighbor could be seen walking past in the background where she raised two middle fingers at Mendez and the camera.
‘I thought that I had a good friend,’ Mendez added.
‘I’m really hurt right now because I thought that we had a rapport, that I could be conservative, and she could be liberal, and we could still be friends. I guess I was wrong.’