Parents in an affluent suburb of Washington, DC, have spoken out to defend themselves against an onslaught of abuse they’ve received after demanding that critical race theory be banned from their kids’ schools.
Loudoun County, where the average home sells for $575,600, has found itself a divided amidst the nation’s recent equity initiative to provide student’s with classes on critical race theory.
When a group of parents stepped up to block the theory from being taught to their children, they were met with intense backlash from peers, including some who launched a Facebook group called Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County.
In interviews with Fox News released Thursday, several of the so-called ‘anti-CRT’ parents revealed how their friends, neighbors and families turned on them for speaking out.
‘I had my own family criticize me openly, and asked me you know, what’s wrong with me? You know, why didn’t I understand? Jessica Mendez, mother of two children in the Loudoun County Public School system, told the outlet.
Mother of two Loudoun County Public School students Jessica Mendez says she has fought with her own family over the issue of critical race theory in the classroom
‘They put three pictures of me in there, and they called me a racist,’ said Loudoun County parent and president of the Loudoun County Republican Women’s Club Patti Hidalgo Menders.
‘They had my first and last name, the name of my husband, where my son goes to high school, what town I live in, and they called me disgusting.’
Critical race theory is a school of thought that explores power structures and racial dynamics among minorities, with advocates of the concept claiming it creates a better understanding of diversity and different cultural backgrounds amongst those who study it.
With diversity sensitivity trainings and evolving academic curricula coming to the forefront of the nation’s attention recently, the concept of CRT has become a powder keg of a theory for both critics and proponents alike.
The debate over CRT in Loudoun County appears to reflect its diverse ethnic makeup, according to a DataUSA report, with 55.1 percent being white/non-Hispanic, 19 percent Asian, eight percent white/Hispanic and 6.88 percent African American.
A Facebook group titled ‘Anti-Racist Parents of Loudoun County’ has been shaming anti-CRT parents online, detractors of CRT say
And this debate over critical race theory has spilled out of the classroom, turning once-friendly neighbors against each other, according to Mendez.
‘I thought that I had a good friend,’ Mendez added just after her neighbor raised two middle fingers behind her back during an interview on the subject.
‘I’m really hurt right now because I thought that we had a rapport, that I could be conservative, and she could be liberal, and we could still be friends. I guess I was wrong.’
Kenyan immigrant Fred Rege is an advocate for teaching critical race theory in Loudoun County classrooms. ‘My number one responsibility is my children,’ he said
IT engineer and Kenyan immigrant Fred Rege lives in Loudoun County, where his two daughters are enrolled in the county’s public school system. Rege said that he knows of dozens of parents who, like him, agree that schools should be teaching critical race theory in the classroom.
However, none of those pro-CRT parents speak up for fear of retribution, according to Rege.
‘I finally got to the point where I said, “my number one responsibility is my children,”‘ says Rege.
‘Even if it costs me certain things in society and canceling from this and canceling from that, you know, I’ll have my dignity. I’ll have my children’s, you know, integrity, and their self-belief, their belief in themselves intact. And that’s worth it.’
As for the pro-CRT Facebook group, Menders says their intimidation tactics have actually backfired into emboldening the opposition.
‘They tried to intimidate us by using social media,’ Menders added. ‘But I’ll be honest, I feel like it’s emboldened my passion for this more.’