(NewsGlobal.com)- The racialization of American schools continues, with reports revealing how a private school in Rhode Island told students to stop sending Valentine’s Day cards that feature white people on the front.
Both parents and students of Moses Brown Lower School in Providence, RI, were sent guidelines from the school headteacher Osvaldo Jose Marti advising against giving Valentine’s Day cards that feature white people or promote “gender normative” ideas.
The letter said that as February approaches, the teachers at the school wanted to share some “guidelines for the selection and exchange of Valentines in the Lower School.”
Parents were then asked to consider a number of recommendations if their child wants to share Valentine’s Day cards or gifts.
The first recommendation was that if a child wants to bring cards for classmates, they should bring a card “for every other child in the pod or in the grade.”
First of all, that’s not the point of Valentine’s Day.
Secondly, the school recommended that children be “coached” by their parents to purchase cards that don’t feel “gender normative.” Ie, no cards that are different for boys and girls.
Thirdly, the school recommended that parents speak to their children about “avoiding cards that portray only White human characters.”
Yes, really.
The guidance went on to say that “representation matters” and “students of color also deserve to see themselves in some of the cards they receive.”
But white students, apparently, don’t.
Finally, the guidance said that Valentine’s Day at the Lower School will focus on “friendship and fun” and that students should “avoid the romantic crush themes.”
In other words, children can’t learn about relationships from a harmless tradition like Valentine’s Day, and if they’re white, they’re not allowed to see themselves on the cards they choose.
That’s literally racism.
