Brace yourselves because public schools (ahem, New York) are about to get a whole lot more “enlightened.” Starting this fall, kids won’t just be grappling with math and history; they’ll be diving deep into reparations, learning why capitalism is evil, student loans are just glorified “debt peonage,” and—wait for it—why abolishing the police might actually make sense.
The latest manifesto out of the New York City’s Department of Education is the 520-page Black Studies Curriculum, offering teachers a treasure trove of controversial topics to feed your kids. Think reparations, voter ID laws, and whether we should reform, defund, or just wipe out the police entirely. After all, what better way to prepare students for the real world than to marinate them in polarizing viewpoints presented as gospel truth?
Not all the topics listed are likely to make most people angry—until you start reading between the lines. One such example is the 11th-grade curriculum which lays it out plain as day: students “will” understand the need for reparations. No room for debate here, folks. Reparations are a must. Your child won’t be learning “why” reparations are a complex issue; they’ll just be told it’s a moral necessity.
The new curriculum brilliantly connects student loan debt to “debt peonage”—because the jump from 19th-century forced labor to choosing to take out loans for a degree is “so” obvious. The logic offered is that after slavery ended, America transitioned to keeping Black families in a permanent cycle of debt, and guess what? That system is alive and well today in the form of student loans, incarceration, and housing. The next time you pay your rent, just remember: you’re part of the oppression machine. Thanks, NYC schools, for the eye-opener!
No ideological re-education would be thorough without a deep dive into policing. Don’t worry; the curriculum checks that box with a neat little menu of options: reform the police, defund them, or just go all in and abolish the whole institution. No middle ground here! The essential question for students: “Are Black communities policed differently than other communities?” Not exactly subtle, right? It’s as if they’re nudging the kids toward a specific conclusion before the lesson even starts. Spoiler alert: The NYC Education Department believes that black communities are indeed policed differently. The only question now is whether we should tweak, defund, or dismantle the whole system.
And just in case students aren’t already experts in all things BLM, there’s a handy crash course on the movement’s origins, founders, and policy aims. Knowing all this is crucial to a well-rounded education—especially when it comes to answering questions like whether we should have the police at all.
Once students have been adequately prepped, they’ll hop from one station to the next, learning all about police reform, defunding, and abolition. Ultimately, they’ll be tasked with supporting one of these methods—or, if they dare, explaining why the police “shouldn’t” be scrapped altogether. It’s a tough sell, given the way the material’s framed, but hey, maybe someone will surprise us.
Oh, and don’t think for a second that they’re keeping politics out of this. The 12th-grade curriculum dives right into the deep end with lessons that practically anoint Vice President Kamala Harris as a modern-day saint. Students will create biographies of Black women in politics—starting with Harris.
Want even more irony? The new curriculum even uses former President Trump’s tweets on the 2020 election to teach a lesson on voter suppression because nothing says educational neutrality like highlighting Trump as the face of voter suppression.
Voter ID laws? Oh, they’re not about securing elections, silly! The curriculum makes sure students know that ID laws exist solely to suppress Black voters, especially in places like Georgia. To help students understand the concept better, they will receive articles to analyze. These articles will highlight that any attempt to ensure fair elections is similar to a modern form of voter suppression.
If that wasn’t enough, the curriculum takes a few good swipes at capitalism. Students will learn that slavery not only built America’s wealth but also laid the foundation for our “current” system of economic oppression. All is not lost; there’s a section on Black entrepreneurship thrown in there, too, but somehow, it feels like an afterthought next to the blame game.
So, there you have it, parents. New York City schools are going all-in on an ideological re-education program this fall. Critical thinking? Balanced discussion? Nah, your kids will be too busy learning who to blame for everything wrong in the world. And while we’re at it, let’s all say a little prayer this doesn’t become the next national trend because other cities might not survive the enlightenment.
