We found the descriptions of the Bluebonnet elementary school curriculum rejected by our school board curious. We particularly wondered why the story of Esther was chosen for second graders. This struck us as odd because in October 2024, we visited Washington, D.C., and witnessed a massive rally, perhaps 200,000 people, organized by the Esther Movement.
We looked into the movement and found it is a conservative religious movement directed primarily at women. We heard speeches about biblically based conversion therapy for LGBTQ people, public schools failing because God was excluded, trans kids and more. It wasn’t exactly our vibe, but it was interesting to watch, and we didn’t take it too seriously.
Now we are taking it seriously. Embedding a religious movement’s focus on an obscure biblical tale in a second grade language curriculum does not seem coincidental.
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 includes a component called “Project Esther: A National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism.” Among other things, it asserts that “Hamas Support Organizations” have infiltrated every level of American education and advocates using lessons from Esther in school curricula as an antidote.
So, of course, it makes sense to highlight a fifth century B.C. Persian queen in a lesson plan that includes six American resistance leaders.
We would like to say thank you to the school board members who summarily dismissed this wretched curriculum despite the challenges their decision has created. We appreciate the lesson in leadership.
Dave and Christine Throgmorton
Cortez
