Kerby Anderson

You might assume that since parents around the country have objected to critical race theory (CRT), that there would be no chance it would be taught in public schools. But there is a bill before Congress that could federalize CRT. That is the conclusion of Stanley Kurtz, who has been researching CRT for years and alerted members of Congress to its inclusion in the Civics Secures Democracy Act. Back in May, I talked about his concern with the original bill. Now there is a revised bill that only seems to eliminate the radical political elements. His latest commentary demonstrates how the Biden administration could nationalize the teaching of CRT. Even if the language in the latest bill were changed, it is still likely that the $6 billion that would be allocated could be funneled through grants to various pro-CRT groups and speakers. But he also explains the language trick used in the bill. It focuses attention on the “traditionally underserved” students as well as “underrepresented minorities.” The argument being used is that the only way to teach these groups is to reject the traditional way of teaching American history and civics. Instead, that will be replaced with curricula that stress America’s “systemic racism.” One of the books that provides a foundation for this teaching argues that “we must abandon the traditional view of American history” of a society that has “struggled to overcome the tragedies of slavery and racism.” For many minorities, it is argued, that is merely perceived as “White people’s history” and must be abandoned. He concludes by acknowledging that “the educational Left is hoping that Republican naïveté, combined with some clever “rhetorical tweaks,” will dupe at least a few GOP senators and representatives” into sponsoring the bill. I certainly hope some of the members of Congress have greater discernment than that.