Racism Equity Materials, CLICK TO OPEN PDF

The book list and resources provided to ISD 728 staff, see links below, regarding racial issues are completely one sided and does not include the many prolific African American authors who provide a different view of America, race relations and discuss the multiple variables that impact individual success and performance. Further, 728 United volunteers have read some of these titles including Kendi’s “How to be an Antiracist” and found the explanations for performance disparities in many of these titles to be highly opinionated, lacking supportive data, lacking the intellectual depth in thinking about complicated problems needed to seriously identify, quantify and address complex social issues.

Curricular Resources
How to Be an Antiracist Educator
Resources for Staff
Racism Equity Materials

728 United offered to donate the books, in the link below titled African American Book List, to ISD 728, to date, the district has not accepted the offer. Between declining to meet with local black leaders like Kendall Qualls and labeling Kofi Montzka, in her address to the Roseville school board, as divisive …. as well as the district’s silence on the offer of opposing books by alternate black authors, it certainly seems like the district is interested in hearing only those black voices who subscribe to a particular agenda, which is, in 728 United’s opinion, the epitome of racism and oppression.

Systematic Racism explained YouTube 4:23 min

While 728 United supports racial equality and a push for limiting bias against groups of people or especially individuals, our volunteers found that many ideas in this video were generalized and did not fully tell the truth. For example, in terms of school funding, Minneapolis public schools spent well over the yearly MN average per student of $12,975, at approximately $17,000 per student in 2019, while district 728 spent just below the state average at around $11,000 per student for 2019.

The state of Minnesota has not provided consistent increases to suburban and rural schools based on state income tax forcing many suburban and rural districts to push for referendums which significantly raise property tax rates. Regardless of property taxes, Minneapolis public schools spend significantly more per student than ISD 728 does, dispelling the claims in the video. Please check out the link to The Exodus Minnesota on our Affiliates tab to review additional data that dispels some of these claims. The reality is, many variables impact outcomes, not just skin color.

Sources for school spending: https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/minnesota/districts/minneapolis-public-school-district-100071 and https://edunomicslab.org/minnesota/

African American Book List