{"id":608254,"date":"2021-08-02T05:05:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T09:05:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=608254"},"modified":"2021-08-02T05:05:45","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T09:05:45","slug":"diversity-group-linked-to-swing-district-dem-pushes-for-critical-race-theory-in-michigan-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/diversity-group-linked-to-swing-district-dem-pushes-for-critical-race-theory-in-michigan-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Diversity\u2019 Group Linked to Swing-District Dem Pushes for Critical Race Theory in Michigan Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdiversity-group-linked-to-swing-district-dem-pushes-for-critical-race-theory-in-michigan-schools%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=608254&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div readability=\"30.36877076412\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"article-category\"><a class href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/elections\/\">Elections<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"article-excerpt\">Elissa Slotkin, top aide tied to local group advocating for &#8216;critical race theory education&#8217;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-thumbnail-container relative lg:mr-24 w-full my-4 mb-8\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"736\" height=\"491\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-736x491-1.jpg\" class=\"w-full lazyload blur-up wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 736px) 100vw, 736px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-736x491.jpg 736w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/GettyImages-1273015691-1-1400x933.jpg 1400w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" \/><figcaption class=\"absolute text-white p-4 w-full text-right text-xs bottom-0 bg-black opacity-75\">\n\t\t\t\tRep. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) \/ Getty Images\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\t\t\t<span class=\"text-gray text-xs md:text-lg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/author\/collin-anderson\/\" title=\"Posts by Collin Anderson\" class=\"author url fn text-red-700\" rel=\"author\">Collin Anderson<\/a> \u2022 August 2, 2021 4:58 am<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<div readability=\"102.37469975981\">\n<p><span>Rep. Elissa Slotkin&#8217;s (D.) top aide in a conservative Michigan county sits on the board of a &#8220;diversity council&#8221; that is lobbying to teach critical race theory in local schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Mona Shand, Slotkin&#8217;s self-described &#8220;eyes and ears&#8221; in Livingston County, serves on the board of the Livingston Diversity Council, a group <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingstondiversity.org\/crt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>working<\/span><\/a><span> to &#8220;advocate for critical race theory education&#8221; in local schools. The council&#8217;s website\u2014which <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingstondiversity.org\/mentor-team\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>features<\/span><\/a><span> Slotkin&#8217;s official logo\u2014links to resources that call critical race theory &#8220;necessary curriculum in schools&#8221; and bemoan &#8220;right-wing fear mongers&#8221; for criticizing the controversial curriculum.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The relationship could spell trouble for Slotkin, a swing-district Democrat who has yet to take a position on critical race theory or its inclusion in K-12 curriculum. One of Slotkin&#8217;s top allies, Rep. Haley Stevens (D., Mich.), faced backlash after refusing to give her stance on critical race theory at a June town hall, with one attendee calling her a &#8220;coward.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Slotkin has partnered with the Livingston Diversity Council, appearing in a February <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6GcRhAnHUww\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>video<\/span><\/a><span> to read <\/span><i><span>I Am Jazz<\/span><\/i><span>, a children&#8217;s book that exposes elementary school kids to transgender ideology. A Livingston County parent, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the school district, told the <\/span><i><span>Washington Free Beacon<\/span><\/i><span> the council&#8217;s push to teach critical race theory in schools\u2014as well as Slotkin&#8217;s ties to the group\u2014will &#8220;get people real fired up, real fast.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8220;We&#8217;ve already seen some school board meetings where people have been upset over critical race theory, to the point that one of our school superintendents said, \u2018We don&#8217;t understand why people are so jazzed up over this,'&#8221; the parent said, noting that the superintendent also serves on the Livingston Diversity Council&#8217;s board. &#8220;Now we&#8217;re realizing, \u2018Oh my God\u2014everything they said we were crazy for talking about is true.'&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Slotkin did not return a request for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Shand joined Slotkin&#8217;s office in 2019 after losing an election for state representative by 20 points. Shand&#8217;s biography page on the council&#8217;s website refers to her as &#8220;Livingston County Representative for Representative Elissa Slotkin.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Livingston Diversity Council <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livingstondiversity.org\/crt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>promotes<\/span><\/a><span> the work of prominent critical race theorist Richard Delgado and diversity gurus Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo. While&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/elections\/mcauliffe-calls-critical-race-theory-a-right-wing-conspiracy-his-union-ally-says-its-needed-to-teach-the-truth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>top<\/span><\/a><span> Democrats&nbsp;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/elections\/nc-dem-senate-hopeful-claims-critical-race-theory-doesnt-exist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>have argued<\/span><\/a><span> that critical race theory is not taught in K-12 schools, the council&#8217;s website shares resources acknowledging &#8220;some district officials have included mission statements, resolutions, or spoken about changes in their policy using some of the discourse of CRT.&#8221; The site also links to articles urging members to oppose &#8220;anti-CRT legislation&#8221;\u2014state senator Lana Theis (R.), who represents Livingston, proposed such a bill in May.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The council faced criticism from Republicans in July over a &#8220;Drag Queen Bingo&#8221; fundraiser slated to take place at a local melon festival, which local GOP officials deemed a &#8220;family-friendly event and not one that should be sexualized.&#8221; A county radio station later <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.whmi.com\/news\/article\/local-dems-leader-says-uproar-over-drag-queen-bingo-is-phone-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span>defended<\/span><\/a><span> the event without noting that its news director also serves on the Livingston Diversity Council board.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Slotkin won her first congressional race in 2018, defeating then-incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop (R.) by about 4 points. She struggled in Livingston County in 2018 and 2020, losing by nearly 20 points in both races; 60 percent of county voters backed former president Donald Trump in November.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Slotkin is considered a top Republican target in 2022, representing one of just seven Democratic-held districts that voted for Trump in 2020. She entered July with $3.1 million on hand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elections Elissa Slotkin, top aide tied to local group advocating for &#8216;critical race theory education&#8217;  Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D., Mich.) \/ Getty Images  Collin &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-608254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}