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Phil Williams

Phil Williams
@NC5PhilWilliams

Sep 23, 2022
30 tweets
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THREAD: Email from @Hillsdale College's Larry Arnn highlights questions about what charter schools would teach and Hillsdale's complicated history on race. 1/ newschannel5.com/news/newschann…

Our investigation first revealed, as example, how @Hillsdale College distorts history of the civil rights movement. 2/ newschannel5.com/news/newschann…
.@Hillsdale College likes to talk about its abolitionist roots, but... 3/ hillsdale.edu/frederick-doug…
A look at @Hillsdale College's Imprimis newsletter reveals an institution that, in 1973, gave voice to the opposition to majority Black rule in Rhodesia, arguing that the right for individuals to practice racial discrimination is a "fundamental human right." 4/ imprimis.hillsdale.edu/an-open-letter…
Remember, this notion appears in @Hillsdale College's 1776 Curriculum where it is stated that civil rights laws against discrimination in public accommodations "was where the line between private conscience and government coercion began to blur." 5/
In March, I tried to get @Gov. Bill Lee to answer the question of whether he agrees with @Hillsdale College that business owners have a right to practice racial discrimination; he refused to answer that direct question, only saying he thinks discrimination is bad. 6/ newschannel5.com/news/newschann…
In July, I got pretty much the same answer. 7/ newschannel5.com/news/newschann…
In 1989, then-president George Roche explained Hillsdale’s decision not to accept federal funding after passage of the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988 requiring compliance with laws against racial and sexual discrimination. 8/ imprimis.hillsdale.edu/the-price-of-i…
Here is an excerpt: “Few politicians have the courage to go on record as voting against any bill related to civil rights, even if it may actually encourage unequal treatment before the law or other abuses of individual rights.” 9/
In 2020, @Hillsdale College highlighted an essay blaming the nation's current political divide on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. "It revoked – or repealed – the prevailing understanding of freedom of association as protected by the First Amendment.” 10/ imprimis.hillsdale.edu/roots-partisan…
Again, there's that notion of a fundamental constitutional right for businesses and others to practice racial and other types of discrimination. 11/
.@Hillsdale College has been at the forefront of pushing the notion that "critical race theory" is a great horror threatening the nation. 12/ imprimis.hillsdale.edu/critical-race-…
At @Hillsdale College, CRT provocateur Chris Rufo argued: "To get universal school choice, you really need to operate from a premise of universal public-school distrust – because, in order for people to take significant action, they have to feel like they have something at stake.” 13/
One of the resources suggested for charter school teachers is @Hillsdale College's Civil Rights in America series, including this one by David Azerrad that describes the threat of Black Lives Matter and other "identify politics" groups. 14/ youtube.com/watch?v=dvbs5b…
.@Hillsdale College's Azerrad also delivered this speech, arguing: "Black people are collectively absolved of any responsibility for their actions. It is never their fault." Yes, he's the one teaching the previously mentioned civil rights course. 15/ youtube.com/watch?v=RFAUeZ…
.@Hillsdale College's Azerrad was also a speaker at the CPAC conference in Hungary defending White Nationalism. 16/ youtube.com/watch?v=RFAUeZ…
Rather than backing away from controversy, @Hillsdale College appears to capitalizing on it with digital ads pushing its CRT agenda, presumably thinking that will help it get charter school approval. (Remember Rufo's message!) 17/
.@Hillsdale College is helping DeSantis to rewrite how social studies is taught in Florida. 18/ slate.com/human-interest…
In South Dakota... 19/ apnews.com/article/educat…
And the GOP candidate for governor in Arizona wants to bring @Hillsdale College's "patriotic" education there, as well. 20/ 12news.com/article/news/p…
As our most recent story noted, @Hillsdale College's faculty is virtually all White, certainly not reflective of the states where they are trying to reshape education. 21/
And @Hillsdale College charter schools, as a whole, tend to be more affluent and more White than the districts they serve. 22/
In a recent news release, @Hillsdale College falsely claims its "1776 Curriculum is NOT related to the 1776 Commission" appointed by Donald Trump. The truth: the 1776 Curriculum repeatedly cites the 1776 Report by the 1776 Commission as support for what it teaches. 23/
.@Hillsdale College even falsely claims that its curriculum "does NOT condemn the rise of progressive politics." Have they read their own curriculum? 24/
If this is not condemning the rise of progressive politics... 25/
Finally, you can find much more on @Hillsdale College by @Kathryn Joyce here. 26/26 salon.com/2022/03/16/sal…
PS: @Hillsdale College says it stands by Arnn's comments, insisting he was only talking about subjects like "critical race theory and gender transformation." The number of times those specific words are mentioned in his email: 0.
PS2: @Hillsdale College says its charter schools are not about politics. But take a look at this 2016 fundraising letter in which Arnn says @Bernie Sanders' popularity among young people shows the need to "rescue our nation's youth from our failed public schools."
Fundraising letter is mentioned in A Wolf at the Schoolhouse. Thanks to @Jennifer Berkshire for providing a copy of the referenced document. twitter.com/BisforBerkshir…
Jennifer Berkshire

Jennifer Berkshire
@BisforBerkshire

Wow - it’s an actual book!!
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Phil Williams

Phil Williams

@NC5PhilWilliams
Speaking truth to power - and the angry mob. @NC5 chief investigative reporter. duPont, Peabody awards. Pulitzer finalist. TIPS: phil.williams@newschannel5.com
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