Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt recently signed House Bill 1775, which would ban the teachings of Critical Race Theory in schools and prevent colleges and universities from specific race-based curriculums. The legislature would prevent educational institutions from requiring students to undergo specific training on gender or sexual diversity, and prohibit teaching students that certain individuals are inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously. Oklahoma comes right after Idaho as the second state to ban CRT and CRT-related curriculum.
“Now more than ever we need policies that bring us together, not rip us apart. I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex. Nothing in this bill prevents or discourages those conversations,” Gov. Stitt shared in a video.
The bill’s author, Rep. Kevin West, said that the bill will ensure teachers don’t cross any boundaries or promote any specific concepts of race and racism. While some Democrats argued that this would prohibit teachers from doing their job when it comes to teaching history or literature, Gov. Stitt clarifies that nothing in the bill prevents or discourages honest and tough conversations about our past. To the radical left, they think the bill means schools cannot teach any history except White history.
Eight members of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education recently denounced the law and argue that the legislation is attempting to quiet conversations regarding “White fragility.” Board member Ruth Veales argued that the bill was trying to quiet discussions regarding race and called out Board Chair Paula Lewis for not allowing her to put certain items about racism on the board agenda in the past.
“I have experienced racism on this board – even when going to this board chair last March and asking for a space to talk about race on this board, and then for White fragility to come in and say ‘I don’t appreciate being called a racist,’ rather than honoring the request to have a place to have these conversations,” Veales said.
But Gov. Stitt said that the bill clearly endorses the educational standards written by Oklahoma educators and teaching students about numerous events such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Tulsa Race Massacre, the emergence of the Black Wall Street, the Oklahoma City lunch counter sit-ins led by Clara Luper, and the Trail of Tears. GOP members just don’t want kids to grow up thinking that they are inherently racist and cannot do anything about it.
The bill states that “no teacher shall require or make part of a course that one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex” or that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
It prevents educators from teaching students that they should feel discomfort, guilt, or psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex, as well as teaching students that traits such as having a hard work ethic are racist or sexist, or even created by members of a particular race to oppress others.
“We can and should teach this history without labeling a young child as an oppressor, or requiring he or she feel guilt or shame based on their race or sex,” Gov. Stitt said.
Instead of focusing on math, literature, science, and things that can help someone get a job, teacher unions want to educate the students on a society dependent on the government. America-hating woke leftists want the future of our country and children to view every situation and educational system under the lens of race and misrepresent the actual events that occurred.
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