By Greg Fry

Ashcroft parent speaks out against ‘white privilege’ education campaign

Jun 6, 2018 | 11:03 AM

ASHCROFT, B.C. — A parent of a Grade 2 student in Aschcroft is speaking out against the Gold Trail School District’s (SD74) “white privilege” campaign launched earlier this year.

The campaign was launched in January and features posters of administration officials explaining how they’ve benefitted from “white privilege.”

Superintendent of Schools Teresa Downs told CFJC Today earlier this year the goal was “to continue the dialogue around the effects of colonization and the legacy of racism and white privilege that is connected to those, to continue that conversation among our students and our staff.”

David Hillier, who claims to speak for a group of 150 residents calling themselves the Coalition Against Racism in Schools, opposes the posters.

“It’s not necessarily the entire concept of “white privilege,” it’s been the execution of the “white privilege” program to where parents haven’t had the ability to actively engage with the school district prior to the implementation of the program.”

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He’s also concerned because the campaign “lacks a clear signal of the goals it’s trying to be achieved” and claims it was just dumped on students with no warning.

“We have students that said they came to school and bam, the signs were there, there was no introductory phase. There was no engagement to say, ‘this is what we’re trying to achieve,’ instead it was just here you go, this is it now.”

Hillier says that’s been confusing for kids, especially the younger ones like his eight year old son who’s just learning to read and write.

“It brings into question, is this the right message to be presenting when you’re tailoring towards a member of society that doesn’t have the courage to debate specifically, they don’t have the knowledge base to debate and state their position. At that stage in their life, it’s pretty much if a parent or authority figure says it, you don’t question it.”

He notes for “full clarity,” he and members of the group support anti-racism measures.

“In this day and age, to say you don’t support some form of anti-racism shouldn’t be tolerated in our society.”

Hillier notes however it’s the message of the poster that has some students — which he says will remain anonymous — feeling uncomfortable.

One comment he shared reads, “My son says he feels guilty for being white and unwelcome in his school,” while another from a First Nations student says, “I feel they’re directing hate towards the white man.”

He says one alternative way of teaching students about racism — which he presented in Ashcroft to the Board of Education Tuesday — is to incorporate the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr.

“At the core, the content of character, not the colour of skin is really a powerful piece that should be remembered.”

As for his presentation to the board Tuesday, he says there was no feedback and is therefore calling for a public meeting to discuss the “white privilege” campaign in greater detail.