What About the Golden Rule? White Christian Nationalist Discourse and Efforts to Upend Racial Justice

• In Event: Navigating State-Level Anti-Equity Policies

Abstract

Using Critical Discourse Analysis, this case-study focuses on a public school district in the Midwest that faced opposition to racial equity efforts. Data from school board meetings, emails from parents about racial equity efforts, and interviews with administrators and school board members reveal the presence of ideological discourse that reflects several important aspects of White Christian Nationalism. Namely, a strict adherence to moral traditionalism and social hierarchies, a perception of victimization and an application of strict ethno-racial boundaries around national belonging.

Author

• Katelin G. Trautmann, Pennsylvania State University