Mayor Exposes Radical “Equity” Training in Government and Schools

The mayor of the western Twin Cities suburb of Victoria has pulled back the curtain on the radical agenda being promoted under the guise of equity in local government and schools. In a letter to the Chanhassen Villager, Mayor Tom Funk said he was shocked by a supposed training program staged for local and county government staff that functioned as more of an indoctrination than education.

As mayor of Victoria, I question the meaning of the word “equity” we see permeating government after attending GARE (Government Alliance on Race and Equity) training put on by the League of Minnesota Cities (summer 2019). I, along with other community leaders and staff, attended this training hosted by Eastern Carver County School District 112.

I was stunned when instructors told us that Thomas Jefferson’s famous words from our Declaration of Independence, “All Men Are Created Equal,” actually mean that only white male property owners can vote. They said the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is an example of our “Christian Privilege.” They similarly twisted Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Their basic message was that our society operates on white and Christian privilege, and we must accept and “own” that fact.

RELATED: Racial Equity Program Pockets More Than $275,000 from MN Taxpayers

The radical rhetoric did not go over well with Funk, a career military veteran before going into the private sector and getting involved in his community.

As a retired veteran, I’ve served 16 years in Army intelligence in Asia and Central America. In comparing these places to America, I know just how great our country is. I took issue with these “equity” views that delegitimize the meaning of our Founding Fathers. They are directly attacking America by perverting our history. I left the training early, upset with the anti-American indoctrination.

But it’s not just local  and state government employees being subjected to this revisionist history at taxpayer expense. Funk found the local school district has also bought into it.

The training spurred my interest in GARE. Why would District 112 host such rhetoric? I wondered if this nonsense made its way into district classrooms.  I discovered that GARE is not a government agency, but a nonprofit funded by progressive organizations. I discovered GARE had made its way into the dialogue of the District 112 Equity Advisory Council (EAC), a council hand-selected to facilitate an equity agenda into our schools. According to their June meeting minutes, attendees suggested that the district adopt the tenets of GARE…

Concerned about the direction of District 112, I wrote to them asking to attend an EAC meeting. As mayor of Victoria, I assumed I’m a stakeholder. Surprisingly, I was told the meetings are closed to the public, and I could not attend. Yet the EAC meeting minutes show that Minneapolis community activists along with other outside community members, attended EAC meetings (summer 2019). Wow — what are they trying to hide? Where is the transparency?

Yet Minnesota has more local, county and state government entities involved in GARE’s divisive race-based agenda than any other state except California. See the list of participants below.

GARE Cohort Participants

2019 Introductory Cohort for Small/Greater MN Cities

  1. Columbia Heights
  2. Fairmont
  3. Luverne
  4. Marshall
  5. Monticello
  6. Pipestone
  7. Shakopee
  8. Willmar

2018 Introductory Cohort

  1. Eagan
  2. Hennepin County Library
  3. Metropolitan Council
  4. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
  5. Minnetonka
  6. Richfield
  7. Roseville

2018 Advanced Cohort

  1. Hennepin County 4th Judicial District
  2. Hennepin County Library
  3. League of Minnesota Cities
  4. Mankato
  5. Metropolitan Council
  6. Minneapolis
  7. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
  8. Northfield
  9. St. Anthony Village

2017 Introductory Cohort

  1. Bloomington
  2. State of Minnesota
  3. Northfield
  4. St. Anthony Village
  5. State of Minnesota—Department of Revenue
  6. St. Louis Park
  7. Shoreview
  8. Three Rivers Park District
  9. White Bear Lake
  10. Woodbury
  11. Dakota County
  12. Edina
  13. Golden Valley
  14. Hennepin County, Fourth Judicial District Court
  15. Hennepin County Library
  16. League of Minnesota Cities
  17. Met Council—regional comprehensive planning
  18. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board

2017 Advanced Cohort

  1. Bloomington
  2. Red Wing
  3. St. Louis Park
  4. Hopkins
  5. Hennepin County
  6. Mankato
  7. Maplewood
  8. Minneapolis
  9. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
  10. State of Minnesota
  11. Ramsey County Workforce Solutions

2016 Introductory Cohort

  1. Bloomington
  2. Brooklyn Center
  3. Brooklyn Park
  4. Duluth
  5. Hopkins
  6. Mankato
  7. Maplewood
  8. Minneapolis
  9. Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board
  10. Workforce Innovation Board of Ramsey County
  11. Ramsey County Workforce Solutions
  12. Red Wing
  13. St. Louis Park
  14. State of Minnesota—Governor’s Office
  15. State of Minnesota—Department of Transportation
  16. State of Minnesota—Minnesota Management and Budget
  17. State of Minnesota—Department of Human Services
  18. State of Minnesota—Department of Public Health
  19. Woodbury