A public elementary school in Philadelphia recently had students participate in activities celebrating “black communist” Angela Davis, which included a Black Power rally simulation, Discovery Institute scholar Christopher Rufo reported.
Fifth-grade students at William D. Kelley School were tasked with completing an assignment that described Davis as a “black communist,” and that focused on Davis’ fight against “injustice and inequality,” Rufo reported, based on whistleblower documents and a source within the school.
SCOOP: A Philadelphia elementary school forced fifth-grade students to celebrate “black communism” and simulate a Black Power rally to “free Angela Davis” from prison.
I’ve obtained exclusive whistleblower documents and photographs from the school. Here’s the story. ????
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 11, 2021
The fifth-grade teacher who designed the lesson plan asked students to “describe Davis’ early life,” reflect on her vision of social change, and “define communist.”
Last year, a fifth-grade teacher at the William D. Kelley School designed a social-studies curriculum to celebrate the political radical Angela Davis, praising the “black communist” for her fight against “inequality” and telling students to “define communist” in favorable terms. pic.twitter.com/zeUAs8vWZs
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 11, 2021
Davis was part of the Black Panthers and an all-black branch of the Communist Party. She was charged with aiding in the escape of radical George Jackson, who was accused of killing a prison guard. Jackson was charged with murder, and soon became one of the FBI’s “Most Wanted” before she was caught. She was acquitted after spending 18 months in jail.
At the end of the unit, the teacher reportedly instructed the students to simulate a Black Power rally in the school’s auditorium. The students were to call for Davis to be freed from prison, where she was sentenced on murder charges before being acquitted.
The students held signs that said “Black Power,” “Jail Trump,” “Free Angela,” and “Black Power Matters,” according to Rufo. They also chanted about Africa and ancestral power.
At the end of the unit, the teacher led the ten- and eleven-year-olds into the school auditorium to “simulate” a Black Power rally to “free Angela Davis” from prison, where she had once been held on charges of murder. The students chanted “Black Power!” and “Free Angela!” pic.twitter.com/oUYdHHvX8v
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 11, 2021
A teacher at the school who kept their identity anonymous told Rufo that “I’ve come to realize that no policy hurts African-Americans more than the public school system and the teachers’ union.”
The school had also reportedly recently commissioned murals of Davis and Huey P. Newton, who co-founded the Black Panther Party.
Despite this abysmal academic performance, administrators have gradually abandoned traditional pedagogy in favor of political radicalism. They recently commissioned murals of Angela Davis and Huey P. Newton, who represent the Communist and Black Panther revolutionary movements. pic.twitter.com/AHbtMfPOUa
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) February 11, 2021
William D. Kelley School did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
Numerous school districts across the country have reportedly held similar activities that aim to instruct students or teachers about social justice.
A public elementary school in California reportedly instructed third-grade students to deconstruct their racial and sexual identities in order to understand “power and privilege,” Rufo reported in January. During a class at R.I. Meyerholz Elementary School in San Jose, students were asked to list their race, class, gender, religion, and family structure on an “identity map” to figure out if they were part of the “Dominant Culture.” (RELATED: REPORT: Public School Instructs Third Graders To Deconstruct Their Racial And Sexual Identities To Understand ‘Power And Privilege’)
In San Diego, teachers were reportedly required to attend a “white privilege” training where they are expected to recognize their roles in perpetuating racism.
