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 REFLECTION
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.