Shaker Heights High School, Ohio distributes “The Weaponization of Whiteness in Schools” material from the Southern Poverty Law Center and urges activism from teachers.

The Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Shaker Heights Schools distributed a “resource collection” to all Shaker Schools households with learning resources organized by grade. This collection includes many questionable links, including “The Weaponization of Whiteness in Schools” from the Southern Poverty Law Center. This article contains blatantly anti-white discrimination of teachers presented as fact. The article states:

“Typically, the weaponization of whiteness happens this way: There is a demonstrated sense of entitlement, anger and a need for retaliation, feigned fear and, finally, white fragility.”

It later says:

“But we should not forget that the onus is still on educators to do this heavy lift. It’s critical that educators reach out to other educators in a school community to urge them to do the same. As a collective, educators can realize their power to challenge the status quo. They can push school board members, superintendents and other school leaders to help shift school culture to an environment free from weaponized whiteness, police intimidation and trauma.”

According to the Shaker Heights Schools website “The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) seeks to ensure that everything we do District-wide—learning and teaching, strategic planning, hiring, professional learning, technology, operations and communications—considers diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Dr. JeffriAnne Wilder joined the District in July 2020 as Shaker Heights Schools’ first DEI administrator. Dr. Wilder facilitates the District’s Equity Advisory and Action Team and the Black Teacher Task Force, supports Learning & Teaching in the District’s efforts to eliminate racially segregated classes and regularly meets with community, District and student groups, among other responsibilities, to promote diversity, equity and inclusion across the District.