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An event took place last week that is of grave concern to me and should be of concern to every parent whose children (primarily 7th & 8th graders) attended a play at the Community Arts Center entitled Mad River's "Keep on Marching". According to the C.A.C. website, the event was sponsored by UPMC. I cannot critique the play because I did not see it. Its focus was to be on the Martin Luther King Jr.-led 1963 March on Washington. The speech Dr. King gave at that event has become one of the most recognized and beloved speeches in American history. Arguably, its most well known line "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Clearly it is vital that all of our children learn this key part of our Nation's history, which helped bring about the 1964 Civil Rights Act, securing long overdue freedoms for all Americans.
However, when I researched the play online, I located the "Keep on Marching Teacher Guide" which was to be provided to our 7th & 8th grade educators in conjunction with the play. Upon reading the Guide, it became clear that the "Mad River" group is heavily focused on the indoctrination of our children, recruiting our students to become "social justice activists" -- but only while supporting causes of the liberal left -- NEVER conservative causes. Leftist causes like radical environmentalism, LGBTQ, transgender, BLM/antipolice movements, "homophobia," climate change and other strategic Marxist ploys meant to divide and destroy our Country. The Teacher Guide is clearly intended to serve as a platform for our public school teachers to introduce "discussion" on such topics, thereby bringing the Marxist agenda into our classrooms.
To overtake any nation, Marxists always target the impressionable minds of children. Their strategy is to convince them that their parents' generation has left them a society of outdated and broken ideas and values, a repressive heavy-handed government and an inequitable economic system, all of which must be overthrown. Marxists conceal their destructive strategy by terming it in their favorite, innocent sounding phrase:"social justice."
I was even more alarmed when I read the following in the Teacher Guide: "Keep on Marching is a call to action of today's young people. It is an anthem to share with your peer travelers on your road to social justice" and ""we can all be social justice activists". Finally, I was then horrified when they listed quotes of their role model "famous social justice activists who are making a difference in the world" as examples that our children should emulate including:
Greta Thunberg – Leftist climate change activist whose name most recently was removed from school books in Israel for her pro-Palestinian/Pro-Hamas support.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez – Leftist climate change and social Justice training activist
Angela Davis – American Marxist and political activist – two time Communist Party's candidate for US vice president and member of the Los Angeles Black Panthers
All 3 founders of BLM movement, known for violent defund the police emphasis, LGBTQ rights and the transgender movement.
Their leftist list goes on. There is no mention of icons like Candice Owens, Charlie Kirk, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Ben Shapiro or Riley Gaines. There are no conservatives listed whatsoever.
I want to believe, though I am not convinced, that those in the school districts of our region who decided to entrust the minds of our students and our scant tax dollars (transportation costs and entrance fee, if any) to an organization who purveys and promotes such rebellious and destructive ideas was simply an oversight and not a purposeful act. Our parents have NOT entrusted our children to our school districts to have them indoctrinated and then inspired to participate in leftist "calls to action" and become "social activists". Rather, parents want their children to become educated. Period! Teaching leftist "social justice" ideology is NOT the role of our public schools. Since the damage is now done, my hope is that those districts which exposed our youth to this propaganda will now provide equal time to conservative speakers who will address our students and offer a different point of view. I would think our public education system would now welcome this exchange of ideas since this is how we learn.
Donald Peters currently serves as the chairman of the Lycoming County Republican Committee, a group of 80 elected and appointed volunteers from various communities throughout Lycoming County. Peters has been a Lycoming County resident for 27 years.