— New York City school children, and possibly pupils in the rest of the state, will soon be learning about the nature and dangers posed by such extremist hate groups as the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party. The 250,000-member New York State United Federation of Teachers (UFT), spearheaded by the New York City branch of the UFT, decided at its convention here to include lessons on the Klan and the neo-Nazis in their social studies projects.
The teachers view it as a way of combatting the dangerous growth of racist groups in the country. They noted the establishment of paramilitary training camps by the Klan and other extremist groups in several southern states and also in Connecticut and Illinois. The teachers also cited the epidemic cross burnings and daubings of swastikas on schools and synagogues around the country.
UFT president Albert Shanker said his union thought even small children should be made familiar with the history and background of racist groups as an antidote to their poisonous propaganda.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.