In this Opp Now exclusive series, three experts in education debate local nonprofit rEVOLution's DEI trainings: their controversial oppression-based curriculum and anti-colonization focus, and how to actually talk about inequality with young people. Diverse perspectives below in this candid, brazen discussion.
Read MoreIn the last of a three-part exclusive Opp Now series, Bay Area DEI education org rEVOLution's Natalie Thoreson (along with educational commentators Larry Sand and Kevin McGary) confab the question of the hour about inequality: How should teachers go about leading these hard, complex conversations? Starkly different viewpoints below, all unified under the aim of individuals' flourishing.
Read MoreDespite rampant tech layoffs in cities like SJ and Sunnyvale, the Bay's housing market remains competitive, says Silicon Valley real estate expert Danny Gould. Boasting fierce market demand (in which multiple offers on units are expected), our local housing sector may even grow amidst layoffs and looming recession—if people stay interested in settling down in the Bay Area. Gould's LinkedIn article below.
Read MoreNew bill (AB 309) backed by several SJ pols states that social housing—taxpayer backed mixed-income developments—will keep housing affordable for families across CA. Jenny Schuetz at Brookings counters that, given the exorbitant costs of building “affordable” units, local gov'ts could instead focus on other subsidies like housing vouchers.
Read MoreAn Opp Now commentator isn't the only non-Leftist who found that suppressing their individual viewpoints in college was easier, far less scary, than making waves. In the Free Press, Bari Weiss analyzes data from an array of studies, showing that the majority of conservative students self-censor.
Read MoreLocals are raising concerns over Morgan Hill USD's ethnic studies curriculum, on which the board will vote tonight. A careful reading of the course description reveals some surprising assertions: including that evictions enforce racism (p. 11), that “seeking out like-minded people” is a form of biased hate (p. 10), and that the 1619 Project is a helpful informational resource (p. 12). The American Revolution Institute reports that the Times' controversial 1619 Project makes ridiculous, unsubstantiated claims about history while encouraging racial division.
Read MoreAssemblymembers Alex Lee and Ash Kalra (D-SJ) coauthored AB 309, which would establish a CA'n agency over “social housing”—publicly funded affordable units in mixed-income neighborhoods. However, the Atlantic questions if gov't should even be in the property management business, pointing to rampant red tape issues in developments across the U.S.
Read MoreContinuing an Opp Now exclusive series, experienced educators Natalie Thoreson, Larry Sand, and Kevin McGary debate the merits—and dangers—of spotlighting colonization as “the root” of society's turpitudes in local high school workshops. Brazenly varied, candid perspectives below.
Read MoreRecalled last June, former San Francisco DA and radical jailbreak activist Chesa Boudin has just announced he will be overseeing a new Criminal Law & Justice Center at UC Berkeley. Many shake their heads as local colleges are increasingly throwing common sense, superior qualifications, and quality education out the window—in favor of ideological agendas, proven ineffective in the real world. A Press Democrat article.
Read MoreOn 5.17 at American Institute for Economic Research's (AIER) SJ Mont Hamilton/Bastiat Society, notable futurist author–speaker and longtime Silicon Valley Libertarian John Hagel discussed a major flaw in local libertarianism's narrative: It's fear based—and should instead spotlight opportunities to improve one's community, in exciting and tangible ways. Hagel's comments excerpted below.
Read MoreAn Opp Now contributor (anonymized by request) recently participated in a graduate program at a Bay Area public university. Rampant social justice conditioning and closed-minded conversations? Check and check. But here, they reflect on an overlooked consequence of systematic Leftist indoctrination: It can render young free thinkers numb to shock, outrage, and action. An Opp Now exclusive.
Read MoreNatalie Thoreson, M.Ed. (nonprofit rEVOLution, LLC's founder) regularly hosts DEI workshops for local adults who support youth, such as at Foothill High School with the SCC Dem Central Committee.. Educational professionals Kevin McGary (Frederick Douglass Foundation of CA's president), Larry Sand (CA Teachers Empowerment Network's president), and Thoreson analyze oppression-based instruction from varied perspectives in this frothy, illuminating asynchronous discussion. An Opp Now exclusive.
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