USING EDUCATION TO DIVIDE AND DISTRACT US
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT
Lately, some Wisconsin politicians have been using our children’s education as a wedge issue. There is a flurry of opposition activity around education, but they don't address what our kids actually need. So what are the real goals of these bills and the messaging being used?
To divide us by race and place by signaling to certain Wisconsinites these divisive messages while claiming “plausible” deniability, for example in the press or on the Assembly or Senate floor.
To distract us from exposing their failures to deliver the programs and supports Wisconsinites want and the things we all fight for — higher wages, better healthcare, funds for schools, and above all, racial justice and true community safety. They’re hoping that they can dominate the news, social media, and even our own communications, by arguing with them about what they want the conversation to be.
To trick us because the public, by and large, is already on our side. The opposition knows this, which is why they try to weaponize racial resentment and in the process, put us on the defensive. In order to make our case for well-resourced, equitable public schools, our choir needs to be louder and singing from our hymnal—not theirs.
To harm BIPOC Wisconsinites by further defunding the healthcare, schools, environmental justice, housing and so much more that would keep us safe, and use those life-saving funds to instead give kickbacks to wealthy corporate donors and further entrench systems of harm, such as mass incarceration and militarized policing in our streets.
ACT
Sign: You can join Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) in signing a petition urging legislators to use the state surplus to provide what our students need to thrive at school.
Share: This video on your social media networks. Include a call to action for your followers!
HONE YOUR MESSAGE
LEAD WITH VALUES, not problems. Focus on what we want, not just what we don’t want, using language that paints a picture of our desired outcomes. And when you do, express the outcomes of our desired policies as benefiting children (not schools). Ex: “Every child deserves to be able to pursue their dreams and together we can provide the resources, care, and attention they need.”
NAME bad actors and their motivations. Use active language to make it clear that certain people have created a problem and so people have the power to fix it. Describe the reasons bad actors are attempting to fuel fear and divide us.
CHARACTERIZE efforts to blame parents, teachers, and unions as a part of the opposition’s strategy of keeping us from uniting for desirable, equitable outcomes.
CONTEST opposition messaging on parental choice by explicitly naming freedom for children in our vision for public schools. All children deserve the freedom to learn, the freedom to excel, and the freedom to flourish.
MAKE calls to action clear and concrete: come to this school board meeting, call this legislator, etc. Ex: “Together, we can demand every child have the same quality education we want for our own and finally give all of our schools the resources they need by speaking up at meetings, contacting our elected leaders, and voting in every election from school board to Senate.”
SOME EXAMPLES
What I know most Wisconsinites believe is that we respect our kids - whatever their color or background - to be able to learn hard truths and handle honest history. I believe in children’s potential to meet new challenges and have an honest reckoning, and when we try to white out our history, we are doing them and our future a disservice. My loyalty is to children and who and what they can become, and that's why I support giving all children the resources they need to thrive.
School is a place where childhood happens. A place where children of different places and races learn from the past, make sense of the present and prepare for the future. While educators work to deliver our children accurate and honest education, some politicians are trying to turn us against schools so they can censor the lessons taught in our classrooms, deny certain children resources and write people who look like them out of our history books. Our children deserve the freedom to learn: to develop the knowledge and skills to reckon with our past, shape a better future, and pursue their dreams. By speaking up at school boards, contacting our elected leaders, and voting to fully fund our schools, we can ensure every child the quality education we want for our own. Join us by [insert your specific call to action.]
SAY THIS, NOT THAT
Sometimes as activists, we can get in the weeds. Here are some ways to bring more people into the conversation without losing them to jargon or opposition narrative.
WHY WE LAUNCHED THIS SERIES
This year is a pivotal crossroads for our state and our nation. In 2020, we came out in record numbers. We marched, we voted, we volunteered and we elected new leaders to govern in our interests.
But now, our time is running out to ensure that every person in Wisconsin knows how much they made a difference. If we cut through the noise, we can ensure they know that they changed the direction of our state, improved our lives, and will do it again.
Here’s the challenge: our collective knee-jerk reaction to disinformation and incorrect statements is to provide “enough” facts to win the day, argument and voter. But contrary to our instincts, this doesn’t work and can even make our opponent’s narrative stronger!
When we try to bust a falsehood, what ends up happening is:
We deepen the audience’s belief in the lie
We repeat and reinforce our opponent’s frame
We expose the lie to folks that might not have heard it before
At the same time, we know we can’t stay silent. This monthly newsletter will help inform how to dispel lies and call out dog whistles without repeating them.
