“The Smallest Minority”

A Child is NOT a race, an ethnicity, a gender, a sexual preference, an economic status, a disability, a religion, a country of origin.

A Child is Not a bargaining chip for more funding or a pay raise, a data point in testing scores, a pawn in a national game of chess, a mind to be manipulated, a political party, a symbol, a social agenda, a way to promote Marxism, Socialism or any other “ism.”

A Child is NOT owned by the state, by the schools, by social services, by the government.

A Child IS a person, an individual with different talents, needs, strengths, weaknesses, obstacles and dreams.

He/she does not need indoctrination, shaming, blaming, to be taught fear, to be made a victim, or to be trained to hate others for things they didn’t do.

He/she needs love, challenge, understanding, and to be treated as the individual he/she is, not a stereotyped member of a group. He/she needs hope and encouragement and the right to fail as a part of learning, to be told he/she can overcome obstacles with hard work and desire, to feel the satisfaction of achievement to the best of his/her ability.

He/she needs to learn to love others, to accept them, to appreciate them regardless of their race, gender, country of origin, disability, religion, and any other differences between them. He/she needs to understand that equality is not evil, that it means we all have a chance to succeed even if we all don’t get to the same outcomes at the same time. He/she needs to learn to love freedom for all, freedom of speech, of religion, and all the rights of the Constitution.

He/she needs to learn that people and countries make mistakes and that what they do to correct those mistakes is what matters and our country has done so much. Our history doesn’t need to be glossed over, but it doesn’t need to be distorted into some kind of horrific tale that ignores all the wonderful things this country and its people have done.

He/she needs to learn that there will always be some people who judge and hate others based on surface characteristics and that he/she will meet them during his/her lifetime. They might call him/her names, try to hurt him, but that there are people; good, caring people who will stand by his/her side to fight in times of hardship.

He/she needs to learn about the people who came before who fought for our freedom, our rights, our country.

It is up to US the ADULTS, the parents, the families, the teachers, the administrators, the Board members, even the politicians to put aside OUR differences to work together to teach them that they are strong, capable, smart, and creative enough to make their lives and this world a better place.

Stop dividing the children. Stop teaching hatred.

Stop stereotyping them.

Start teaching the TRUTH. Actual TRUTH.

STOP Critical Race Theory in all its iterations. STOP 1619 and all it’s falsehoods.

We OWE THEM THAT!

• The title refers to this Ayn Rand Quote: ” The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities. “