(The Daily Signal)—As students across the United States struggle to master basic reading and math skills coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, some schools are dedicating the first week of February to “Black Lives Matter at School” in a “Week of Action.”
Tina Descovich, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, urges parents to see whether their school district is engaging in that program and to speak out against it if it is.
“I think most Americans are starting to tune in and understand that we are in a crisis in America in public education,” Descovich tells “The Daily Signal Podcast.”
“We have the lowest test scores since the 1980s in reading and the lowest-ever math scores,” she notes. “Yet we have organizations like Black Lives Matter in Schools that are setting aside a whole, entire week, the first week of February—[the] 5th through the 9th—to drive their ideology.”
“If you look at their 13 guiding principles and their four demands, one of them is to upset the nuclear family, to break down the nuclear family,” the Moms for Liberty co-founder notes. “They have other things like affirming transgenderism and focusing on globalism. Many things that I don’t agree with and don’t want my children learning, things that are divisive and will work to destroy our culture and our country.”
Black Lives Matter at School’s 13 guiding principles include “Restorative Justice,” “Globalism,” “Queer Affirming,” and “Transgender Affirming.” The 11th principle, “Black Villages,” states: “We disrupt the narrow Western prescribed nuclear family structure expectation. We support each other as extended families and villages that collectively care for one another, especially ‘our’ children.”
Descovich says schools push this divisive material as “a cover-up for public education failure,” citing poor proficiency levels in math and reading.
For example, she notes that only 5% of black fourth grade students in Milwaukee Public Schools—which celebrates the Black Lives Matter in School’s Week of Action—could read at grade level, according to the National Advancement of Educational Progress.
“Milwaukee Public Schools right now, they’ve put out information for their teachers on how to teach some of the 13 guiding principles that Black Lives Matter in Schools are promoting, and yet look at what’s going on in Milwaukee Public Schools,” Descovich says. “Tyler, 5% of black students in Milwaukee Public Schools are reading on grade level in the fourth grade. That means 95% of the black children in Milwaukee cannot read. That is sentencing them to a life of real struggle.”
“They’re not teaching kids to read or do math, and they’re spending time on things that cause division and break down the things that we do know work in society, like the nuclear family,” she adds.
Descovich urges parents not to be complacent. She recounts that, even though she served on the school board in a conservative county, the divisive racial ideas behind Black Lives Matter at School made their way into her county’s school system.
She urges parents to “go to your school or your school district’s website and just look.”
“Are they celebrating Black Lives Matter in School Week of Action? If they are loud and proud, it will be out there, front and center,” Descovich explains.
If parents see it on the website, they should contact a teacher, contact the principal or go to the school board. “If your district is hiding it, which is very possible, you can do a public records request,” she notes. Moms for Liberty has resources to help parents file those requests. Such a request may turn up race-based trainings, which parents should raise with the school board.
Descovich also encourages parents to check if there is a Moms for Liberty chapter in their county, and if there isn’t, to start one themselves.
She also takes the time to “set the record straight” on the Moms for Liberty chapter in Williamson County, Tennessee. That Moms for Liberty chapter criticized the “Wit and Wisdom” curriculum, which, among other things, assigned the autobiographical book “Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story.”
She recalls that a second grade biracial child in that county told his mom “something about hating his white part” when he returned from school one day.
“Our chapter took the time; they spent a thousand hours,” she says. “They picked every book that has that set in the curriculum, every lesson plan. They even got a hold of the teachers manual, and they read every sentence, and they mapped it out, and you really had to do that to see the problem.”
“There were little things dropped in kindergarten, added on into first grade, and then in second grade. They actually had a nine-week social justice segment in their English language arts curriculum,” Descovich explains. The biracial boy had been in the middle of that program.
“You know, the curriculum included the book ‘Ruby Bridges Goes to School,’ and there’s absolutely nothing wrong in that book,” the Moms for Liberty co-founder says. “But there was a teachers manual that went along with that, that spent time with those second graders pointing out the ‘N-word’ and how it was in the background of one of the pictures in the book.”
“The teachers manual … didn’t direct the teacher to teach it in a way that showed Ruby Bridges as a hero, as brave, as what she did is amazing and she had courage. It taught it in a way that was divisive,” Descovich explains.
“I have children. If anyone would have taught them the ‘N-word’ in second grade, I would have been irate,” she says. “And if I had a biracial child sitting in that classroom, learning that Ruby Bridges was more of a victim than a hero, that’s very upsetting to me.”
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
Listen to the interview with Descovich below.
Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email [email protected], and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
