You may have heard the term "Critical Race Theory" on the news, but what does it mean? Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a subset of Critical Theory, which stems from "philosophers and social theorists in the Western European Marxist tradition." A report from investigative journalist Christopher F. Rufo does a good job outlining the teachings of CRT through an activity he describes where, in Missouri, a middle school forced teachers to locate themselves on an “oppression matrix,” based on the idea that straight, white, English-speaking, Christian males are members of the oppressor class and must atone for their privilege and “covert white supremacy.”
How can we expect any child to succeed in life when we teach them that the deck is stacked against them and that they will forever be held back by racist oppressors? In 2019, America naturalized 843,000 citizens. In 2021, we are on pace to have the most people cross the Southern border illegally in more than a decade. America is still seen as the land of opportunity throughout the world as evidenced by the droves of people coming here. At one time, we taught children in America that this is the land of opportunity. CRT, however, has changed that.
The CRT curriculum that ‘enlightened’ educators are regurgitating to students pits them against each other based on racial and ethnic background. In other words, students are being taught to judge people by the color of their skin, not the content of their character.
This is a dangerous precedent to set for America’s youth, who will one day lead this country. But we still have time to stop this Marxist-rooted nonsense. There are no boogeymen holding people back because of where they or their ancestors are from. Success is achieved in America by people from all walks of life, of different races, skin tones, religious beliefs, orientations, sex, and national origins.
That is why I joined Congressman Burgess Owens and Congressman Jody Hice in an important push to free children from being taught that they are victims through CRT and begin teaching them that success in life is based on their own hard work, because that is the truth.
I am an original cosponsor of a bill that will prohibit the use of federal funds to adopt, fund, require, or promote any policy, activity, or entity that promotes employee training based on CRT. This includes promotion of the concepts that the United States is fundamentally racist or sexist and that any individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
I cosponsored another bill that will rescind President Biden’s Executive Order that nullified the Trump Administration’s executive action to stop CRT from being taught to federal employees. The bill seeks to block the teaching of CRT to federal employees, as the Trump Administration sought to do. The bill also lays out a number of findings pointing out that CRT actually promotes racism and is anti-American.
I am an original cosponsor of a resolution to express the sense of the House of Representatives that CRT should not be taught in classrooms as a method to teach students to judge individuals because of their race. The resolution advocates for states to implement policies, such as curriculum transparency, to ensure parents know what their children are being taught and can make informed choices about their child’s education. The resolution also calls on the Department of Education and state attorneys general to assist schools in being compliant with existing civil rights laws and to enforce the law.
I also joined my colleagues in sending a letter, authored by Congressman Burgess Owens, to Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona to convey concerns with CRT-based racially exclusive practices and the Department’s recent actions to suspend investigations that were looking into these practices. The letter also requests for the Department to withdraw the American History and Civics Education grant program proposed priorities that would direct funding to projects that integrate CRT.
