% WAUWATOSA I'M ZAC SCHULTZ FOR
% HERE AND NOW.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: TIM
% MICHELS SAYS HE WANTS K-12
% SCHOOLS TO STOP TEACHING
% CRITICAL RACE THEORY, WHICH THEY
% ACTUALLY DON'T.
% JUST BY WAY OF DEFINITION
% ACCORDING TO EXPERTS, CRITICAL
% RACE THEORY IS A HIGH-LEVEL
% ACADEMIC COUNCIL HOLDING RACISM
% AS NOT MERELY THE PRODUCT OF
% INDIVIDUAL BIAS OR PREJUDICE.
% IN WISCONSIN, RECENT LOCAL
% EXAMPLES OF THE CULTURE WAR
% WITHIN SCHOOLS INCLUDE THE MIST
% EGO SCHOOL BOARD EXCLOUTING AN
% AWARD WINNING BOOK FOR TENTH
% GRADE READING.
% IT'S A NOVEL THAT FOLLOWS A
% JAPANESE AMERICAN FAMILY
% INCARCERATED DURING THE AMERICAN
% GOVERNMENT DURING WORLD WAR II.
% FOR MORE ON THIS WE TURN TO
% KABBY HONG RECENTLY NAMED
% TEACHER OF THE YEAR.
% AND MEMBER OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN
% COALITION OF WISCONSIN.
% THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
% >> Kabby Hong: IT'S A PLEASURE
% BEING WITH YOU.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: AS A NEW
% SCHOOL YEAR STARTS, TENTH
% GRADERS THERE WILL NOT BE
% ASSIGNED WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS
% DIVINE.
% YOU SAY YOUR ORGANIZATION MUST
% NOT STAY SILENT ON THIS.
% WHY NOT?
% >> Kabby Hong: I THINK IT'S
% IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF OUR KIDS,
% NOT JUST OUR ASIAN AMERICAN KIDS
% OR KIDS OF COLOR, THAT THEY SEE
% THEMSELVES IN THE CURRICULUM AND
% THEY SEE A TRUTHFUL
% REPRESENTATION OF OUR NATION'S
% HISTORY.
% ASIAN AMERICAN HISTORY IS
% AMERICAN HISTORY.
% AND SO TO EXCLUDE THAT IS REALLY
% DENYING OUR OWN PAST.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: SO THE
% SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS SAID THE
% DECISION WAS ABOUT THE PROCESS
% OF HOW THE BOOK WAS CHOSEN, NOT
% ITS CONTENT.
% THEY HAVE NOT RESPONDED TO OUR
% REQUEST FOR COMMENT.
% WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
% WHY THAT BOOK WAS PULLED?
% >> Kabby Hong: WELL, THEIR
% EXPLANATIONS REALLY DEFIE LOGIC.
% WHAT YOU ARE FINDING ACROSS THE
% COUNTRY AND IT'S NOT JUST
% HAPPENING IN MISKEGO, THERE IS A
% DOUBLE STANDARD WHEN IT COMES TO
% AUTHORS OF COLOR.
% ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
% LGBTQ CHARACTERS AND BOOKS AS
% WELL.
% THAT THERE IS A SEPARATE
% STANDARD OF SCRUTINY THAT IS
% USED FOR THOSE TYPES OF BOOKS
% THAN IT IS FOR THE, QUOTE,
% CLASSIC BOOKS THAT ARE NOT OFTEN
% WRITTEN BY PEOPLE OF COLOR OR
% MARGINALIZED GROUPS.
% WHAT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO
% EXPLAIN IS WHY THEY ARE USING A
% DOUBLE-STANDARD FOR WHEN THE
% EMPEROR WAS DIVINE THEY HAVEN'T
% USED FOR OTHER NOVELS.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: DO OTHER
% TEACHERS ASSIGN THIS BOOK?
% >> Kabby Hong: WE ARE
% CONSIDERING THINKING OF TEACHING
% IT THIS YEAR FOR OUR FRESHMEN
% ENGLISH.
% BECAUSE IT IS A FANTASTIC BOOK.
% IT'S AN AWARD-WINNING BOOK.
% AND IT HAS TREMENDOUS LITERARY
% MERIT.
% AND IT IS TAUGHT THROUGHOUT OUR
% COUNTRY.
% MISKEGO'S LOGIC OF WHY THEY
% WANTED IT REJECTED, BECAUSE THEY
% WERE UNCOMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT
% THE JAPANESE-AMERICAN
% INTERNMENT.
% AND UNCOMFORTABLE TALKING ABOUT
% OUR NATION'S HISTORY.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: HOW DOES
% THIS LOCAL EXAMPLE DOVE TAIL
% WITH CALLS TO CRITICAL RACE
% THEORY?
% >> Kabby Hong: WELL, IF YOU LOOK
% AT WHAT PEOPLE DEFINE AS
% CRITICAL RACE THEORY, SOMETIMES
% IT'S A LIST OF 70 DIFFERENT
% TERMS.
% INCLUDING TERMS LIKE DIVERSITY.
% SO REALLY THESE CRITICAL RACE
% THEORY BANS HAVE NOTHING TO DO
% WITH CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
% AS YOU MENTIONED BEFORE IN K-12
% EDUCATION, CRITICAL RACE THEORY
% IS NOT REALLY THOUGHT.
% WHAT THE CRITICAL RACE THEORY
% BANS SHOW IS IN DISCOMFORT
% PEOPLE HAVE WITH PEOPLE OF
% COLOR.%WITH THE TRUTHFUL REFL
ECTION
% ABOUT OUR NATION'S HISTORY WITH
% BANNING BOOKS.
% ESPECIALLY BOOKS WRITTEN BY
% AUTHORS OF COLOR.
% AND I THINK THAT IS THE OPPOSITE
% DIRECTION WE NEED TO GO AS A
% COUNTRY.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: SO ARE
% TEACHERS ON THE EDGE ABOUT
% CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION ABOUT
% HISTORICAL FACTS?
% >> Kabby Hong: WELL, THE NICE
% THING ABOUT BEING THE WISCONSIN
% TEACHER OF THE YEAR, I'M ABLE TO
% CONVERSE WITH TEACHERS OF THE
% YEAR FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
% AND THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AN ISSUE
% THAT IS IMPACTING TEACHERS, NOT
% JUST IN WISCONSIN, BUT ACROSS
% THE COUNTRY ITSELF.
% THERE HAS BEEN MORE THAN 300
% ANTI-LGBTQ LAWS PASSED IN THIS
% COUNTRY IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE.
% AND SO IT'S INCREDIBLY
% PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE THE BEST
% PART OF OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION
% SYSTEM IS THAT WE ARE ABLE TO
% HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
% OUR NATION'S HISTORY, ABOUT
% IDENTITIES OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
% AND THESE LAWS TAKE AWAY FROM
% THAT.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: HAS ALL
% OF THIS CONTRIBUTED TO TEACHERS
% NOT WANTING TO ENTER THE FIELD?
% OR NOT STAYING?
% >> Kabby Hong: IT IS A MAJOR
% REASON WHY A LOT OF TEACHERS ARE
% LEAVING.
% BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE ESSENTIALLY
% ASKING TEACHERS TO DO IS TO GO
% AGAINST BEST PRACTICES.
% TO GO AGAINST THEIR OWN
% TRAINING.
% AND THE SAD REALITY OF IT IS
% THAT, UNFORTUNATELY IN TEACHING,
% WE ARE OFTENTIMES HAVING OUR
% PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT OVERRULED
% BY PEOPLE THAT HAVE ZERO
% EXPERIENCE ACTUALLY TEACHING IN
% A CLASSROOM.
% AND THAT IS THE SAD PART ABOUT
% ALL OF THIS.
% IS THAT YOU TRAIN AND YOU ASK
% THESE TEACHERS TO BE COLLEGE
% EDUCATED AND HIGHLY TRAINED.
% AND YET WHEN THEY GIVE YOU YOUR
% PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT, THIS
% JUDGMENT IS OFTENTIMES OVERRULED
% FOR NO REASON, OTHER THAN A
% NARROW POLITICAL VIEWPOINT.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: WHAT
% SHOULD PARENTS KNOW ABOUT WHY
% SUCH THINGS AS AMERICAN HISTORY
% IN THESE WAYS IS BEING TAUGHT TO
% THEIR CHILDREN?
% >> Kabby Hong: I THINK PARENTS
% SHOULD KNOW TEACHERS DEEPLY CARE
% ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN.
% AND THAT WE ARE ROOTING OUR
% PRACTICES ON BEST PRACTICES.
% BUT ALSO, IN TERMS OF MEETING
% THE NEEDS OF A DIVERSE ARRAY OF
% KIDS.
% AND ULTIMATELY THESE
% CONVERSATIONS STRENGTHEN US.
% BECAUSE THE HISTORY IS OUR
% CURRENT.
% IF YOU LOOK A LOT OF THE ISSUES
% WE ARE DEALING WITH IN THE PAST,
% WE ARE STILL DEALING WITH THEM
% TODAY.
% IT ALLOWS US TO GIVE A CONTEXT
% FOR OUR KIDS IN TERMS OF WHY
% ISSUES OF RACIAL INJUSTICE, FOR
% EXAMPLE, CONTINUE TO PLAGUE US
% IN OUR CURRENT DAY.
% >> Frederica Freyberg: WE NEED
% TO LIVE IT THERE.