CONFRONTING WHITE NATIONALISM IN SCHOOLS A Toolkit AUTHORING © Western States Center 2019 Authored by Nora Flanagan, Jessica Acee, and Lindsay Schubiner Contact: [email protected] 2 CONFRONTING WHITE NATIONALISM IN SCHOOLS A Toolkit 3 TA B L E O F CONTENTS 05 Introduction 10 How to Use this Toolkit 11 Scenarios 29 Proactive Steps & Best Practices 34 Five Common Defenses of White Nationalism 36 Conclusion 37 Resources 46 Cited Sources 4 INTRODUCTION Americans across the country report a rise in white nationalism and other bigoted extremism. Because schools are hubs of our communities, they have become battlegrounds for extremist organizing. There is evidence that white nationalist groups are specifically targeting young people with their messaging. These groups test market slang on Twitter, rewrite popular songs with white nationalist lyrics, and join mainstream video game platforms, all to reach a young audience. In this toolkit, we’ll share strategies to counter white nationalist organizing in schools through sample scenarios that schools frequently encounter. Whether a student has been found passing out white nationalist flyers or buttons on school property, or more actively advocating for a “white pride” student group, the following pages offer advice for parents, students, teachers, school administrators, and the wider community. Many resources currently exist that address diversity, inclusion, and bullying in schools; a few of them are listed in the resources section. This toolkit is specifically focused on responding to white nationalist targeting and recruitment of students. It’s easy to miss an unfamiliar white nationalist symbol, or feel unsure about how to respond to a student citing a white nationalist source in the classroom. There’s a lot to keep track of when working with young people; we want to make it easier to recognize these behaviors (and those responsible), and to take action. Everyone who engages in the life of a school is in a unique position to isolate and push back against the growing white nationalist movement and the hateful narratives they tout. It’s time to own that power. Our job is to build schools where everyone feels valued, and where our students can grow to be engaged citizens of an inclusive democracy. "My site is mainly designed to target children” for radicalization, the editor of neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer, Andrew Anglin, said on a radio show in 2018. “[Age] 11 through teenage years.... Young adults, pubescents ." 1 5 demographic changes are equal to WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT white genocide. 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While white nationalismWhile white is a nationalism is Futurea Belongs Futureto Us,” Belongs for example. to Us,” for example. misogyny, and other forms of hatred. bigoted social movement, white “Jews and non-Jews need to understand bigotedINTRODUCTION social movement, white supremacy is a systemsupremacy designed is a system to designedTo white to nationalists,To white an attacknationalists, on an attack on that we have a unified threat. The white maintain controlmaintain over people control of over peoplewhite of supremacywhite is unpatriotic. supremacy is unpatriotic. nationalist movement in the United color and the rightscolor of and all the women. rights of all women.They believe thatThey diversity believe and that diversity and States doesn’t simply seek to spread hate; it seeks to use hate to build political power,” writes Eric Ward, Executive Director of Western States Center. The neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer published a flyer that read: “White man are you sick and tired of the Jews destroying your country through mass immigration and degeneracy? Join us in the struggle for global white supremacy...” 5 White nationalist flyers like these from the group Patriot Front are distributed in schools and communities as a way to draw attention and recruit members. 7 White nationalists in the United States insist that the successes of the Civil Rights movement