A coalition of far-left teachers are advocating for the removal of works by William Shakespeare from school curriculum, accusing the iconic playwright of being a symbol of “White supremacy,” as reported by the Washington Times.
The demands come from a far-left group called “#DisruptTexts,” a group of teachers who declared that “this is about White supremacy and colonization,” demanding that Shakespeare and other iconic figures in Western literature either be removed from schools altogether or face mandated criticism in the course of teaching about their works.
One such teacher, Elizabeth Nelson in St. Paul, Minnesota, admits that she teaches her students “Marxist theory” whenever they must read Shakespeare. Another, Sarah Gross in Lincroft, New Jersey, gave lectures on “toxic masculinity analysis” whenever her students had to read Romeo and Juliet. Their efforts are being promoted by The School Library Journal, a far-left publication that claims to be “the premier publication for librarians and information specialists who work with children and teens.”
The Journal released an essay criticizing many of Shakespeare’s most famous works, including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and King Lear, claiming that “a growing number of educators are coming to the conclusion that it’s time for Shakespeare to be set aside or deemphasized to make room for modern, diverse, and inclusive voices.” Neither the essay nor any of the teachers ever actually cite an example of how Shakespeare is racist or otherwise problematic.
Other academic groups have criticized the effort to erase Western Civilization from public education. The National Association of Scholars released a report detailing the timeline to disrupt such literary teachings, dating as far back as the 1980s, and points out that such movements only increase hostility exclusively towards White men.
“It’s a new version of cancel culture. They have little regard for the great books,” said NAS President Peter Wood.