A traumatized child, who has been in the foster care system since she was 4 years old, went viral after she posed a simple question to school officials concerning her “white privilege.”
Tristen Akers had suffered some of the most extreme abuses throughout her young life. When she was repeatedly told by her teachers that she was the beneficiary of “white privilege” due to her skin color, she simply couldn’t take it anymore.
With the idea that America is systemically racist unquestionably accepted as fact, schoolchildren are being lumped into two groups — oppressors and the oppressed. Of course, this isn’t done on an individual basis nor by examining their life experiences. In fact, it’s solely based on immutable characteristics such as gender, sexuality, and race.
Ignored and abused by her school, Tristen Akers felt she had no other option but to be her own hero. In a gut-wrenching speech, she addressed her Indianapolis school board directly, giving a glimpse into her life.
“I have been in counseling for as long as I can remember because I was adopted from foster care at age 4,” she began. “Things I’ve learned along the way are being challenged now when my science or math teacher is trying to teach me how to be, emotionally. And why are they teaching me about sexuality and how to identify?”
Tristen explained that the trauma of her childhood abuse has been exacerbated by the school’s focus on gender and sexual identity. Tragically, she reveals her fear that the instruction of unqualified teachers on such topics has undone years of intensive therapy for her and her silent classmates.
“I don’t want to hear about sexuality during class in front of other students, because that should be a private thing. This should be left in the homes and between students and counselors in one-on-one conversations,” she said. “This has been a very traumatic part of my past, and the more the school focuses on sexuality, the more it affects me and my anxiety. It leaves confusion and frustration in my mind, and I don’t know how to deal with that because they only focus on more content that I feel hurt about.”
As heartbreaking as her appeal is, the coup de grace is delivered when Tristen reveals details of the extreme abuse she survived. In a simple yet profound observation, the little girl asks what type of “privilege” the school believes a child that has suffered such unspeakable horrors is enjoying.
“I was told that I have white privilege. How can a child born in an abusive drug and alcohol abuse home who lost her entire biological family, that has experienced all forms of abuse in their life, be privileged? If you found a child at 15 months in a home with holes in the floor eating cat poop, would you consider them privileged? Just asking, because when I was told that, I was upset. I cried myself to sleep,” she said.
She ends her speech by exposing the district’s agenda, which neglects academics in an effort to push political and social doctrine. Disturbingly, she happened to be one of the students whose education was sacrificed to satisfy the woke agenda.
“We have to stop the stereotypes and bitterness towards groups because it gets us nowhere but divided. They are trying to divide us into two groups instead of bringing us together as one,” she concludes. “Every day I felt less and less valued as a student and failed every class this past year. Academics are not important here — only how we feel and making sure that we learn about sexuality, political topics, and emotional topics that teachers may or may not be able to handle, especially with trauma children like myself.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkNgh4H2ZUI
After the video went viral, Tristen’s parents slammed the district for failing students like their daughter and forcing them to speak on adult issues.
“She shouldn’t have to tell the schools how they have failed children by dividing them. She shouldn’t have to tell them how they are damaging them by adding more anxiety and guilt for reasons unknown!” Tina Akers wrote.
“This was hard as a dad to see my child go through and to be vulnerable to allow her to get in front of this people. I’m so proud of her courage to step out!” Shane Akers added.
Fortunately, Tristen moved to a different school and hoped to make a fresh start. However, there was still the risk that this next school would adopt the same teachings and further victimize her and her classmates as identity-based curricula become the standard.
Tristen is the face of the myth of white privilege along with any other collective entitlement or victimhood. Despite her youth, she could see the fallacy of stereotyping an entire group of people based on perceived oppression.
Identity-based teaching is damaging our children. The most disturbing part is that the young victims are having to stand up for themselves because the adults charged with protecting them are either promoting this political dogma or are sitting in silence while it devours the school system.
