“Anti-Racism” in Action: Fairfax Schools Edition

by James A. Bacon

Do you have an 8th grader who wants to go to college? Does he or she fall into one of several marginalized groups, including Black or Hispanic racial/ethnic identity? If so, Fairfax County has a special College Partnership Program to help.

Although the program apparently allows Whites and Asian students to participate if they qualify as an English learner, first-in-family to attend college, economically disadvantaged, or having a learning disability, only Blacks and Hispanics are entitled on the basis of their race to participate.

Enterprising journalist/crusader Asra Nomani has the story here. Nomani engages in slight overreach by stating that Asian-American students are “excluded.” But the Fairfax County criteria are clearly racist. Blacks and Hispanics are granted a race-based privilege not given Whites and Asians.

I expect the usual suspects will seek to obfuscate what this program so clearly is: government discrimination on the basis of race/ethnicity.

It’s all so unnecessary. If the Fairfax school system had opened up the program to English learners, first-in-family students, economically disadvantaged and those with learning disabilities, it would have captured the Black and Hispanic students most in need of help. But Fairfax public school leaders cannot help themselves. They are adherents of the Ibram X. Kendi philosophy of “anti-racism” — the idea that the only remedy for past discrimination is reverse discrimination.

Nomani can hardly be blamed for viewing the program in the worst possible light. As the mother of a former Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology student, she was in the front line of the fight to preserve the merit-based admissions system for the elite public high school. She witnessed the anti-Asian animus among Northern Virginia “progressives” close up.

Asians just don’t behave properly, it seems. Insisting upon excelling academically, they refuse to act like oppressed “people of color.” They are labeled as “White-adjacent,” which makes them as much the enemy of the left as White people.

So much for judging people by the content of their character. With their hard work and striving, these first- and second-generation immigrants better reflect the spirit of America than most Americans do these days.


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37 responses to ““Anti-Racism” in Action: Fairfax Schools Edition”

  1. LarrytheG Avatar
    LarrytheG

    Mr. Hurtt wrote a comment in another thread lamenting the interference of folks outside the school systems in the running of the schools – to bad effect.

    This is how that happens.

    Not that we don’t already have hyper attention going on these days and some of it trumped up and wrong…

    but the schools just walk right into it like they’re either stupid or want to be provocative and bring on bad stuff.

    Everything the schools say or write these days needs to be carefully vetted – both the words as well as the idea the words are describing.

    I totally support the idea that kids who are at disadvantage from doing the things they need to do over time to get qualified for college – should have access to programs that will help them – think about it as proactive counseling.

    I also think that kids who have trouble in school, if they can’t read or do math and struggle, can, without help, essentially give up and become behavior or discipline problems. Again, we help these kids which helps us also and it’s the right thing to do – regardless of their color or ethnicity.

    1. James McCarthy Avatar
      James McCarthy

      Sounds like you favor equitable accommodations – an evil term on BR.

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        I DO! we help kids who need help for a wide variety of reasons and none could be more important than the ones who have and continue to be historically disadvantaged.

    2. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      “Everything the schools say or write these days needs to be carefully vetted – both the words as well as the idea the words are describing.”

      Accountability for government employees and elected officials … what a concept!

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        It’s a two-part. Some of it is certainly justified. Other is basically demonization and hate-mongering on steroids.

      2. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Some of this is basically a modern-day “southern strategy” IMO. And pretty sure black folks are more than aware of it.

        ” WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Jennifer McClellan will be sworn in to the U.S. House late Tuesday, making her the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

        The longtime state lawmaker leaned into the historical and personal significance of the moment, telling The Associated Press she would take her oath of office with a family Bible containing a receipt for a poll tax her father once had to pay tucked into its pages.

        “The fact that I’m the first from Virginia, the birthplace of American democracy and the birthplace of American slavery, is kind of poetic justice,” McClellan said in an interview Monday.

        As McClellan formally joins the ranks of Congress, she will make Virginia the 23rd state to be represented in Congress by a Black woman, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of historical records.

        McClellan recalled how her parents and grandparents faced Jim Crow-era obstacles just to vote. She said her grandfather had to prove he could read and find three white men to vouch for it; her father, a pastor and professor, had to pay a poll tax to vote and kept the proof in his now-worn Bible; and her mother, the first woman in her family to attend school beyond eighth grade, did not vote until the 1965 Voting Acts Right was enacted.”

    3. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      The person who raised this is (or was) a Fairfax system parent. So not an outsider. No, wait, that’s right — to you parents are all outsiders!

    4. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      The person who raised this is (or was) a Fairfax system parent. So not an outsider. No, wait, that’s right — to you parents are all outsiders!

      1. LarrytheG Avatar
        LarrytheG

        Nope. We have activists who are also parents but they are also associated with political groups as opposed to a non-affiliated parent only looking out for their kid. They’re “using” their kids to engage in political activities against the public schools IMO.

  2. DJRippert Avatar
    DJRippert

    What a pity that Virginia’s Republicans are too distracted / lacking in vision / dim-witted to see the opportunity to attract Asians to the GOP in Virginia.

    Maybe it’s because the majority of Virginia’s long time GOP leaders are from southern Virginia and most of Virginia’s Asians live in Northern Virginia?

    Nationally, the trend is clear:

    https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/briefing/asian-americans-conservative-republican.html

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      Trump is poison to the GOP. He became president but, through arrogance and immaturity, he just couldn’t grow into the office.

      If the next presidential election is a rematch between Trump and Biden … I might just not vote for president.

      1. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        DJT – I lived in NYC for decades as Trump grew. Sorry to report that he was a grand example of arrogance and immaturity throughout.

  3. M. Purdy Avatar
    M. Purdy

    “[S]light overstretch…” Let’s say massive overstretch with major legal implication. Excluding races from applying would be illegal on its face; what FFX is doing is unseemly, but under current law is perfectly legal, and let’s face it, helpful to students who do qualify under those categories when it comes to applying to college. There is no nefarious intent here.

    1. Stephen Haner Avatar
      Stephen Haner

      It’s like a Rorschach test. What you see in it is mainly about you. And I admit I see racism. Easy mental test: just revise the text and have it say it is open to students of European or Asian heritage without mentioning African or Hispanic. Your reaction then? This goes beyond tone deaf.

      1. M. Purdy Avatar
        M. Purdy

        It’s about the context. Blacks esp. have been historically oppressed in our country; Latinos as well to a lesser extent; and Whites have largely privilaged themselves. You can’t trade one for the other (whites vs. blacks) because they’re not equivalents. But is it kind of icky, not ideal, inexact, lead to resentment and under-including some while over-including others based on their race? Absolutely. I don’t like the system, but it’s not as easy as saying ‘well, they said Blacks and Latinos should apply, so that’s automatically racist.’

        1. VaPragamtist Avatar
          VaPragamtist

          The problem is trying to extrapolate systems-level social theory and apply it at the individual level: you are White, therefore you have privilege; you are Black, therefore you are oppressed.

          Everyone has some level of privilege. The amount, type, and how it impacts each person depends on individualized contexts.

          Providing programs to individuals in need is great; but basing those programs on systems-level, exclusionary criteria only adds fuel to the racist fire.

          1. M. Purdy Avatar
            M. Purdy

            All very fair points. Like I said, it’s an imperfect and unfortunate system. I do think schools try to individualize for the most part, but of course you have some situations, like the Harvard case, which are egregious and will likely end up meaning that race cannot be used as a factor in admissions. So yes, I see the downsides.

          2. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            Indeed but it’s not racism. It may be favorable discrimination that communicates unfortunate messages.

          3. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Give the man another Jim McCarthy silly walk award.

            “It’s not racism. It may be favorable discrimination”

            Very nice, add an Imperial Wizard bar to the award.

        2. Stephen Haner Avatar
          Stephen Haner

          No discrimination against Asians historically? Why, seems there has been! We put some in camps 80 years ago! Native Americans? Sorry, you are just digging a deeper hole. If the program has value, it should just be open and marketed to everybody. Anti-racism is just….racism.

          1. M. Purdy Avatar
            M. Purdy

            Of course, Asians are the outlier for sure and every anti-affirmative action crusader’s favorite vessel for change. Now most Asians immigrated to the U.S. starting in the 60s and 70s during and after the civil rights era, so it’s different. But, yes, Asians for sure faced and continue to face discrimination. (I did in fact at a school called VMI, but the bloggers here don’t believe that it existed there, so there you go.) Like I said, it’s not a perfect system, but saying ‘I give up b/c this is unfair to Asians’ seems like a societal cop out.

          2. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            “Anti-racism is just…racism.” Oxymoronic assertion. Condemnation and opposition to racial discrimination is “anti.” Efforts to reach historically discriminated individuals is not racist but the opposite.

          3. how_it_works Avatar
            how_it_works

            A shocking revelation that without Northern Virginia, Virginia would be comparable to Mississippi or West Virginia?

            (Yes, I mentioned West Virginia on purpose, because I know how much Virginians HATE being compared to that state..) 🙂

          4. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            Context must be added, e.g., population, to appreciate the 11 lowest ranking VA counties in comparison to those in other states. Educational progress and achievement (with consequent economic gain) is not a matter that can be simply attained. NOVA residents and taxpayers, I’m certain, are willing and do share the common wealth they produce with others. VA is a work in progress.

          5. LarrytheG Avatar
            LarrytheG

            that report IS shocking and yes, it shows that rural Virginia education attainment levels are like West Virginia and other low attainment states. Agree. If it were not for NoVa, Virginia might be a “tucky”.

          6. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            See my response to how it works.

          7. VaPragamtist Avatar
            VaPragamtist

            Anti-racism becomes racist when it crosses the fine line from “efforts to reach historically discriminated individuals” to discriminating against others based on race.

            You can provide programs with the goal of reaching historically discriminated individuals. You can market to those communities. But once you exclude others from taking advantage of those opportunities, you’ve crossed the line.

            Success is not a zero-sum game. We can work to empower marginalized groups without excluding others.

          8. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Yet you espouse racist Kendi’s appeal for discrimination “The remedy for past discrimination is present discrimination. The remedy for present discrimination is future discrimination.” That is what is moronic, oxy or not.

            Another Jim McCarthy silly walk award. Congrats, you’ve done it again.

          9. James McCarthy Avatar
            James McCarthy

            Keep trying to invert and twist my words. I never espoused Kendi’s “appeal for discrimination” but I did critique your failure to include his full statement in your criticism. “The only remedy for racial discrimination is anti-racial discrimination.” Such also applies to ethnic discrimination which you offered on another post slurring Italians and Irish. That’s hypocritical not oxymoronic.

          10. Lefty665 Avatar
            Lefty665

            Keep making things up Silly Walk Man and you can earn more Jim McCarthy’s silly walk awards. Congrats.

          11. WayneS Avatar

            And don’t forget the Anti-Chinese League in California, anti-Chinese laws in San Francisco, mistreatment of Chinese workers, etc. etc.

        3. Dick Hall-Sizemore Avatar
          Dick Hall-Sizemore

          You did a good job of distinguishing the two approaches. Also, I agree with your characterization of it.

          As Jim pointed out, the county could have hit its target without specifying race. At some point, the county will learn not to rile folks up unnecessarily.

  4. LesGabriel Avatar
    LesGabriel

    Fighting both racism and “anti-racism” ( as now defined by the left) on the way to a color-blind society may be confusing, but it is absolutely necessary.

  5. James Wyatt Whitehead Avatar
    James Wyatt Whitehead

    I looked over the CPP program at Fairfax. Looks positive and encouraging.
    https://www.fcps.edu/academics/academic-overview/college-success-program/college-partnership-program-cpp
    The one glaring weakness is the CPP initiative is readiness. How does CPP help students gain the college readiness tools needed? Anyone can apply to college and if there is a will there is a way to college. But what does it matter if a student has little chance of finishing what they started? CPP should reexamine itself and a provide the readiness resources to increase the chances of completing college.

    1. LarrytheG Avatar
      LarrytheG

      agree.

  6. M. Purdy Avatar
    M. Purdy

    So that would be viewpoint discrimination. In this case a viewpoint fully supported by fact. Duly noted. https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/25/elaine-chao-donald-trump-racist-attacks-00079478

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