A race-based workshop in an Asheville-area North Carolina middle school was touted as "important for all ages" to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in light of America's tense racial climate, but some argue the instruction could divide more than unite.
Teachers at Evergreen Community Charter School hosted the workshop on Friday where discussions of diversity and inclusion led the event. Discussions also focused on the history of race and how the subject should be taught.
"These are hard issues," Jennifer Watkins, associate director at the institution said, according to ABC 13 in Asheville. "It’s hard for people to understand different perspectives. But one key thing we really need to do is to practice having discussions."
Similarly, Heather Tate, who organized the event, praised the workshop for sparking conversations about race. Her take was shared on the Crisis in the Classroom Twitter account.
"It's important for all ages, from kindergarten to three-year-olds to grown folks to middle schoolers to be having conversations about racial equity and race in our country," she said.
The notion raises concerns among those who allege the content incites division and perpetuates some controversial principles found in critical race theory, a system of thought that observes the way power structures and systems – namely government and corporations – disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities.
The allegedly "racist" ideology has become increasingly widespread in recent years, infiltrating top medical schools, K-12 schools, as well as private schools and other university departments across the U.S.
Some argue, though the conversations may be appropriate for older students, others are too young.
Among those concerned is the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank who alleged the workshop would create a victim mentality centered around inherent characteristics such as race and gender.
"[The theory] replaces Marx’s conception of class struggle with an oppressor/oppressed dynamic based on identity groups, such as race and gender," the foundation argued, according to ABC 13.
DEI has similarly taken center stage in the education wars as many public schools and universities implement DEI-focused programs or hire DEI officers who rake in lucrative salaries.
Such positions gained national attention in recent weeks, most notably at Stanford University, where a DEI Dean Tirien Steinbach confronted Trump-appointed judge Kyle Duncan as protests broke out during his talk on campus.
Other DEI-focused initiatives have led institutions to question gender norms, advocating for differential recognition between gender and sex as well as calling for enhanced inclusion among minority groups in school and work settings.
Fox News Digital reached out to Evergreen Community Charter School for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.
