In a recent National Review article, Stanley Kurtz sheds some light on the troubling possibility of the Biden Administration implementing national civics learning standards. While the information in this article on this development is alarming, the sad state of reality is that nearly all civics learning, whether the Biden Administration implements national standards or not, is already part of the “woke” culture.
Civics standards on a state and local level are not new; social studies teachers already need to incorporate civics in their lessons to meet expectations as per the C3 (College, Career, and Civic Life) Framework. Incorporating civics into a teacher’s unit plan requires them to have students “take informed action” to effectively meet the standard. This has brought teachers urgently into the world of civics resources even without a federal mandate.
The sad state of affairs that has created the reality that socialism may be inevitable is that nearly all of the resources available to teachers for civics learning are coming from left-leaning to the most radical of organizations and individuals. iCivics, which is the most used and developed civics resource for teachers, is run by individuals who are highly biased and part of the “woke” culture. The reach of iCivics cannot be underestimated. They have partnered with countless organizations including giants in the world of technology and video games, as well as highly influential educational and governmental organizations such as the State Bar of Georgia.
The individuals who run this organization are highly partisan and are an integral part of the success of “woke” culture. Their deception makes iCivics immoral, and their hypocrisy makes them unfit to teach our children. How can one teach civics when one doesn’t practice it themselves?
The Executive Director of iCivics, Louise Dube, continues to make many radical statements that reflect pure bias and are not acceptable for any respectful educator to repeat. In an interview with Frederick Hess from Education Next, she claims that, “The field is undergoing a transformation in leadership and a rethinking about how diversity and equity must be addressed.” Dube adds, “…to create a truly equitable civic education. It’s not just about access and inclusion. It’s about realizing that we have been teaching civics primarily from one perspective, that of the white male. We need to make sure that we […] no longer gloss over systemic racism, but give students the tools to address it.” Dube’s greatest concern seems to be around “institutional systemic racism,” and the “white supremacy” that plagues the United States. While she sounds more like the leader of Black Lives Matter, she is in fact the biased executive director of iCivics, and surely is transforming civics education, but the way one might suppose. Dube is turning civics education into a propaganda tool of none other than the socialist radicals who aim to destroy America’s virtues and founding principles.
iCivics’ Chief Education Officer and Deputy Director of CivXNow had, until recently, her Twitter name listed as “Emma ‘aspires to be Antiracist’ Humphries.” The “aspires to be Antiracist” virtue signalling makes it a sure thing that she has fully embraced the “woke” agenda. Humphries also recommends the radical Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How to Be An Antiracist. Kendi has recently been featured by Haymarket Books, a publishing company that advocates for the abolishment of America.
Amber Coleman-Mortley is the Director of Social Engagement at iCivics. Her real claim to fame is from her blog where she admits to cursing at her own child for uttering the “offensive” words of “all lives matter.” She also stated in 2016 that she feels sorry for any Republicans that planned to vote for Donald Trump claiming that these republicans do not know “what it truly means to be American.”
The bias behind iCivics is dangerous, but their assertion that they are unbiased and take no political position is laughable.
Executive Director Louise Dube was asked the following question in an interview: “I frequently feel like a lot of the interest around civic education is largely a product of the fact that many funders and advocates were horrified by the election of Donald Trump. Is this a fair assessment? Either way, what are the implications of this for the future of this work?”
Dube’s “unbiased” response was: “Some advocates were spurred by the election of Donald Trump certainly…I agree with you. We need to provide the spaces for people who come from diverse perspectives to have what will be difficult conversations. If people come to the issue of civics education as a way to get a “win” for their political point of view, they have come to the wrong field.”
Still, while iCivics is the most used civics learning tool in education, there are other organizations that have been creating civics resources for the last few years, and are used in classrooms across America. Some of these groups include the Zinn Education Project, Facing History, and Teaching Tolerance. The only way to ensure that civics education is preserved in the United States, and endures the next generation of Americans who are being taught to hate their own nation, is to support The Locke Society. We are the only organization that is creating educational materials that meet current standards and can combat the leftist materials that teachers are forced to use. They are forced to use these radical and inappropriate materials because our side has not funded the development of these materials, and has discouraged our youth from becoming educators. The Locke Society was created to address these as well as many other issues threatening the future of our nation. With your help, we will save America.
