President Joe Biden’s Education Department proposed a rule recently to use taxpayer dollars to bring critical race theory into schools.
The proposed rule would use federal grant money “to help schools teach the New York Times’ controversial 1619 Project by controversial essayist Nikole Hannah-Jones and Boston University Director of the Center for Anti-Racist Research Director Ibram Kendi’s book, How to Be an Anti-Racist into K-12 school curriculums,” according to Fox News.
Fox reports that any recipient of these grants is required to “take into account systemic marginalization, biases, inequities, and discriminatory policy and practice in American history; incorporate racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives and perspectives on the experience of individuals with disabilities; Encourage students to critically analyze the diverse perspectives of historical and contemporary media and its impacts; Support the creation of learning environments that validate and reflect the diversity, identities, and experiences of all students; and contribute to inclusive, supportive, and identity-safe learning environments.” The rule also states that the deadline for public comments is May 19th.
The Washington Examiner notes that there would be two priorities for the project, the first being to “elevate projects that ‘incorporate racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse perspectives’ into their syllabi, while the other aims to improve ‘information literacy.’”
Two Congressman, Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., and Jeff Duncan, R-S.C. , have sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, urging him to reconsider these grants, writing that “[I]t is therefore counterproductive and even dangerous to allow our vulnerable school children to be taught the falsehoods prevalent in the 1619 Project or in Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist. This book is antithetical to the American Dream… Moreover, the 1619 Project is a racially divisive revisionist account of history which intends to ‘reframe U.S. history by marking the year when the first enslaved Africans arrived on Virginia soil as our nation’s foundational date.’ The 1619 Project is in fundamental opposition to our true foundation date in 1776.”
Lamborn told Fox that schools should play a role in helping students become aware of slavery and contributions of Black Americans, but that should never be accompanied by promoting attacks on the principles enshrined in the Constitution.
