Parents in Virginia were outraged after a high school aired a controversial video purporting to teach a lesson on “white privilege.”
The Glen Allen High School in Henrico is under fire for playing a video entitled “Structural Discrimination: The Unequal Opportunity Race,” in which a pair of male and female minorities are pitted against two male and female white people in a literal, but metaphorical race.
The video depicts the minorities running into obstacles like “slavery,” “standardized tests” and “discrimination” preventing them from finishing the race, while the white people are seen passing the baton between each other and enjoying the benefits of “connections,” “privilege,” and “wealth disparities.”
The video ends with the white male winning the race and the message, “Affirmative action helps level the playing field.”
Outraged parents complained the video is actually about saddling students with “white guilt.”
“They are sitting there watching a video that is dividing them up from a racial standpoint. It’s a White guilt kind of video,” said the grandfather of one student. “I think somebody should be held accountable for this.”
A radio host also placed the blame on the Obama administration’s ongoing agenda to make everything about race.
“Dr. King gave his life so that America would be a place where we are judged by the content of our character not the color of our skin,” radio personality Craig Johnson told KSLA. “Now we have poverty pimps being led by our current president Barack Obama who all they talk about is the color of skin.”
School administrators responded that only a portion of the video was played, but that it was critical in producing a “thoughtful discussion.”
The students participated in a presentation that involved American history and racial discourse. A segment of the video was one component of a thoughtful discussion in which all viewpoints were encouraged. As always, we are welcoming of feedback from students and their families, and we address concerns directly as they come forward.
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