YES! They Have Been FORCED To Cancel Drag Queen Story Hour

After community outrage, a mayor in North Carolina said Saturday that a planned LGBT Pride “Drag Queen Story Hour” event had been canceled.

The event was canceled after Apex Mayor Jacques Gilbert, a former captain of the Apex Police Department, forwarded community feedback to the festival commission hosting the event, according to a Facebook statement.

Here’s what Gilbert said, who used to be the captain of the Apex Police Department:

“Given that this part of the event was not originally presented when the event was proposed, I met with representatives from the organizations hosting the event, the Apex Festival Commission, and presented the feedback I have received from citizens.”

“Today I was notified that the Apex Festival Commission has taken the feedback into careful consideration and has decided to remove the Drag Queen Story Hour from the event,”

“It continues to be my goal to ensure that all voices in our community are represented,” said the mayor, noting that he “received a variety of feedback regarding the Drag Queen Story Hour.”

According to town council member Audra Killingsworth, the town got numerous complaints, some of which escalated into threats of violence, an outlet reported. The organizers said, “While the event may seem to be a small part in the festivities, the Drag Queen Story Hour can have a big impact on kids.”

The mayor’s announcement drew mixed reactions, with some expressing disappointment at the cancellation and others supporting the decision.

One parent wrote, “This was THE Pride event I was planning to attend with my toddler. Very disappointed in the event organizers who were swayed by hateful, misguided comments.”

One person said the decision was “fair,” adding that “this performance (stage names, etc.) is too adult for a children’s activity,” and thanking the mayor and the committee for their choice.

https://dailyallegiant.com/yes-they-have-been-forced-to-cancel-drag-queen-story-hour/

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'Woke' Open University anti-racist training course titled 'Union Black' tells academics that 'white superiority' is 'embedded in the English language'

A 'woke' anti-racism Open University training course devised by professors as well as Labour frontbencher David Lammy is teaching academics that the English language upholds 'white superiority'.

The programme titled Union Black, which was launched last year through a £500,000 investment from Santander, claims that the idea of 'white hegemony' has been 'covertly weaved' into people's minds.

Course material studied by academics at almost 100 UK universities including Imperial College London says 'white superiority' is ingrained in the 'cultural psychology of the English language' - and that white Europeans have most 'successfully' imposed racist ideas.

Another module praises cancel culture, urging participants to 'share collective expressions of moral outrage' and encouraging them to become 'active allies' in advancing racial justice.

The course's claims about race and the English language have been blasted as 'characteristically woke', 'unhistorical', 'ignorant' and 'illiterate' by Dr Zareer Masani, historian of the British Empire.

'This is a sad reflection of woke brainwashing of our future academics. It betrays abysmal ignorance of how any language evolves, assimilating diverse influences along the way,' he told The Telegraph.

The programme was developed by leading academics including Professor Marcia Wilson, Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the Open University. It also includes contributions from Mr Lammy, Sir Keir Starmer's Shadow Justice Secretary, historian and film-maker David Olusoga and Baroness Shami Chakrabarti among others.

In one module, called 'What is whiteness?', the course states: 'Along with religion, politics, laws and customs, white superiority is embedded in the linguistic and cultural psychology of the English language.

'Consequently, given the global reach of the English language, the assumption of white hegemony has been covertly weaved into the consciousness of white people, black people and people of colour.'

It calls on university staff taking the training programme to address unconscious biases which all people are either 'unaware of' or 'in denial about'.

An Open University spokesperson said: 'We are proud to have worked together with Santander on developing this course which is aimed at increasing awareness of racism and building allyship to support inclusion.

'Feedback from participants on the course has been extremely positive, and we are recommending it to staff and students across all UK universities.'

Santander previously said that the Union Black course was created in response to a report highlighting racial inequality in higher education. MailOnline has approached Santander for further comment.

The Telegraph reports that the course argues that the problem of white dominance is also political, stating: 'Historically, British politics has maintained white hegemony, making immigration an existential threat to white Britons.'

It defines 'whiteness' as 'the systemic and structural domination and oppression of 'non-white' peoples', informing students that 'white' people only exist in opposition to 'black' people, both of which are socially constructed ideologies'.

Course material also claims that the majority group experiencing 'reverse racism' from the minority group is a 'mythical' idea and suggests 'some people have been improperly educated about what racism truly means'.

However, the claims go against the views of the Commission on and Ethnic Disparities, led by Tony Sewell.

The report, published last year and which split opinions, said the 'claim the country is still institutionally racist is not borne out by the evidence'.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10922597/Anti-racist-training-course-tells-academics-white-superiority-embedded-English-language.html

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New NYC Council bills intend to widen access to elite public high schools

City Council Members Justin Brannan, Keith Powers and Oswald Feliz will introduce three proposals Thursday to promote test preparation for specialized high schools that rely on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) for entry.

“We know SHSAT prep has the ability to level the playing field for every student in NYC,” said Brannan, whose district includes Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst and Bath Beach in Brooklyn.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that every student, regardless of race or class, can thrive within our school system,” he said.

The package requires the Department of Education to create a plan to administer specialized high school admissions tests on a school day.

The proposal would continue two years of the schools offering the SHSAT during the day since the pandemic began — to increase awareness of the test and make traveling easier for families who work or have other responsibilities.

Close to 15% of test-takers received an offer for this fall, or 4,053 out of 27,669 students who took the SHSAT this school year,new city data released Wednesday showed.

The third in the series has the DOE create a plan to provide SHSAT preparation to all middle school students.

Council members said the vast majority of New York City middle schools do not currently have access to publicly funded test preparation.

“For years, antiquated practices around the SHSAT have shut too many students out from success and opportunity,” said Powers, whose district extends from much of the Upper East Side and Midtown to Stuyvesant Town.

Powers added that while “there’s still so much more” that the city could do to address concerns about the test and increase diversity at the selective schools, the laws could be “pragmatic steps forward.”

Black and Latino students made up 21% and 26% of students who sat for the SHSAT this school year, respectively — but got just 3% and 6% of offers to enroll in specialized high schools this fall, data showed.

Asian students made up 31% of test-takers and 53% of offers; white students were 17% of test-takers and 28% of offers.

The distribution of offers by ethnicity was similar this year to that of last admission cycle.

Council members said previous legislation similar to their proposal had widespread support, including from Speaker Adrienne Adams, until public health measures took precedence.

https://nypost.com/2022/06/15/new-nyc-council-bills-would-widen-access-to-elite-public-high-schools/

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My other blogs: Main ones below

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)

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