Biden education official claims democracy, fatphobia based on white supremacy

A US Department of Education deputy director, who was appointed under President Biden, poked fun at Evangelical Christians and claimed democracy was based on “White supremacy,” according to her Twitter profile. 

Kristina Ishmael’s Twitter account was put on private Monday, but not before Fox News Digital documented dozens of her claims about white people and white supremacy’s purported ties to American democracy, Evangelical Christians and fatphobia (bias against fat people).

Ishmael is the deputy director in the Office of Educational Technology. The office implements policies for “equity of access” to technology. 

“[Democracy is] also built on white supremacy, which I see perpetuated in education circles when BIPOC folx are being told they’re too negative by addressing real issues instead of superlatives,” she said. 

Ishmael responded to a tweet which claimed the Evangelical church welcomed “hate” and “white supremacy” into its institution. 

She replied, “Amen.”

Fox News Digital asked the Department of Education whether Ishmael displayed a bias against Evangelical Christians but did not receive a response. Around 25–30% of Americans identify as Evangelical. 

The Biden official said she walked away from a discussion because “a white male dominated the conversation.” In another instance, Ishmael said she was tuning out voices from white people. 

In another tweet, Ishmael seemingly cast doubt on whether white gay men deserved to be considered a marginalized category in curriculum. 

“In most ‘inclusive’ materials,’ the most dominant folx are still represented in the marginalized group (e.g. white, cis, gay men). This does not include the nuance of this group,” she said. 

In other instances, Ishmael blasted the “white perspective” in curriculum.

“[M]ost of my curriculum was written from a very narrow and white perspective,” she said. 

“As a teacher, how many times have you been asked to uphold white supremacy through dominant-culture norms,” Ishmael said. 

In another instance, Ishmael claimed that the term “stakeholder” is a “colonizer language to id the white men who staked their claim to land.” 

Ishamel also believes that bias against fat people is on par with white supremacy. 

She said, “Learning to be comfortable in my own skin & weight and really ready to reject the White supremacist ideal body? F*ck yes.”

“Fatphobia is real. The ‘ideal’ weight, shape & look is white supremacy baked into our everyday lives. I’m so over it. We deserve more than diets,” she said.

Ishmael is a self-declared fan of Ibram X. Kendi, the “antiracist” founding director of the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.

Kendi wrote a 2003 column about “Living with the White Race,” stating, “Europeans are simply a different breed of human… They are socialized to be aggressive people… They are raised to be racist.”

“The current status quo of our education system works for white students, but no Black or brown students. Many white people will question why it should be changed,” she said. 

Ishmael has also said that “white supremacy” is baked into classroom rules. 

She said, “So if I’m on a webinar with professionals speaking… should I also share Zoom rules with them to remind them of no gum chewing, muting mics, etc.? Oh, that’s right, NO! And we shouldn’t with CHILDREN either… Can’t help but see the white supremacy built into the ‘rules’ I’ve seen floating around.”

Fox News Digital previously reported that another Biden official at the DOE – Kayla Patrick – claimed that “school discipline” is part of a “racist system,” blaming so-called “whiteness,” while she worked for a left-wing education organization. 

Patrick has worked at the DOE’s Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development since February, according to her LinkedIn. In 2021, she said, “school discipline is a symptom of a racist and punitive system that often fails to see children as children.”

“Instead of helping students to learn and grow from mistakes, educators send them into the office, or send them home, or even sometimes call the police. And Black students are more likely to be offended, affected by that,” she said. 

Ishmael has also criticized white people for not voting for Biden. 

She said, “Dear fellow white people, defending the percentage of us that did vote for Biden is not helpful right now. Read the room. Just don’t.”