ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. — This is the second of a series of stories outlining the Critical Race Theory curriculum being taught at Penn High School. All of the curriculum was obtained by REAL News Michiana from the school district through a Freedom of Information Act Request.
Teachers at Penn High School successfully pushed back against the inclusion of a “Pyramid of White Supremacy” in the curriculum, according to a source familiar with the matter. While the pyramid has been removed, it was initially included in the lessons that were provided to REAL News Michiana through a Freedom of Information Act request. Included in the pyramid are sayings like “MAGA,” “I don’t see race” and “It doesn’t matter who you vote for.”
The administration agreed to drop the pyramid, which was put forward by the school’s Social-Emotional Learning team. The goal of the SEL program is to equip local students with the social and emotional tools they need to achieve success.
The “Pyramid of White Supremacy” is a model used by far-left advocates that says indifference about racism can lead to mass murder.
The graphic is meant to instruct students that if they can remove low levels of racism, the entire pyramid structure will fall and genocide will be avoided.
Comments at the base of the pyramid include such problematic statements as: “Why can’t we all just get along,” and “It doesn’t matter who you vote for.”
The pyramid progresses in racism with comments such as, “We all belong to the human race,” and “I don’t see race.” Other ideas at this level include: colorblindness, all lives matter and the denial of white privilege.
As the pyramid builds, more serious evidence of racism includes discriminatory dress codes, claims of reverse racism and English-only initiatives. Further up are ideas such as funding schools locally and gentrification.
Eventually, the pyramid rises to serious levels of discrimination like mass incarceration; calls for violence, including burning crosses and MAGA (President Trump’s campaign slogan to “Make America Great Again”); lynching, hate crimes and police brutality. The peak of the pyramid is mass murder.
You can see the entire graphic of the Pyramid of White Supremacy here:
The Pyramid of White Supremacy was adopted by the National Equity Project, which believes the public education system perpetuates inequity by design. All of this is part of the Critical Race Theory push happening in school districts across the country. The theory starts with the conclusion that all white people are inherently racist and oppressors. People of color are victims and the oppressed. The theory attempts to fight racism with racism. It is essentially a racial take on communist “critical theory,” attempting to indoctrinate communist ideals into children by calling them racist if they disagree with the teachings.
Since 2020, the school board for Penn Harris Madison School Corporation has worked especially hard to address racism. In July of that year, the school board voted unanimously to hire a diversity officer. The move was prompted by alumni and students who called for more attention to race matters.At the time of the vote, Christopher Riley, board president, said: “Today is an important first step in implementing the reforms necessary to eradicate racism and racial injustice within our school system.”
Superintendent Jerry Thacker also agreed there was a need for a diversity officer: “We need to be focusing on anti-racist themes, anti-racist activities and providing our students with experiences so that they are proud of their heritage.”
Derrick White, who previously served as assistant principal for Penn High School, took over the diversity officer position. His starting salary was $107,000. Part of his job description included identifying institutional racism. The South Bend Tribune quoted him as saying: “I look forward to the magic that we are about to create together with P-H-M students, families and staff.”
You can read the first story of this series here.
