Bill Passes Tennessee State House Prohibiting Critical Race Theory In Public Schools

On Wednesday, the Tennessee State House voted to ban critical race theory — the theory that teaches people that America is irredeemably rooted in racism — from public schools.

According to City Journal’s Christopher Rufo, “The legislation, which moves to the Senate, would prohibit schools from promoting race essentialism, collective guilt, and state-sanctioned racism.”

BREAKING: The Tennessee State House passes a bill banning critical race theory indoctrination in public schools. The legislation, which moves to the Senate, would prohibit schools from promoting race essentialism, collective guilt, and state-sanctioned racism. The fight is on. pic.twitter.com/RtIVb8lcyQ

— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) May 5, 2021

The bill prohibits K-12 institutions from stoking racial divides by forcing certain children to view themselves as “oppressors” while others are viewed as “oppressed” merely because of their skin color.

Teachers can no longer tell an individual “by virtue of the individual’s race or sex” that they are “inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive.” Students can no longer be taught that “an individual’s moral character is determined by the individual’s race or sex,” or that “an individual, by virtue of the individual’s race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”

Under this legislation, teachers also cannot tell their students that the state of Tennessee or the United States are “fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.”

Rufo told The Daily Wire that this bill reflects the overwhelming rejection of “toxic and divisive principles,” such as critical race theory, being taught to children.

“Voters across the country are revolting against public school systems that have abandoned education in favor of political indoctrination,” Rufo said. “Tennessee legislators have a moral obligation to make sure that public schools reflect the values of the public — and Tennesseeans of all racial backgrounds reject the toxic and divisive principles of race essentialism, collective guilt, and neo-segregation.”

The Tennessee bill was proposed by state Rep. John Ragan. Ragan received an email from a constituent about a 7-year-old white student who was described as “depressed and suicidal” after a discussion about her “white privilege” in her public school. The student allegedly told her mother, “I’m ashamed that I’m white.”

Similar bills have passed in Idaho, Utah, and Arkansas. Red states such as Oklahoma and Texas have bills banning critical race theory in process.

The Associated Press reported that the GOP-controlled House in Oklahoma voted overwhelmingly for a bill that will prohibit teaching critical race theory.

“Students are being taught that because they’re a certain race or sex, they’re inherently superior to others or should feel guilty for something that happened in the past,” state Rep. Kevin West told The Associated Press. “We’re trying to set boundaries that we as a state say will not be crossed when we’re teaching these kinds of subjects.”

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis opted to direct the education department to ban critical race theory from public schools.

The Daily Wire reported:

DeSantis updated the public on his state’s new educational priorities in a press conference. The governor said that the state’s civic education should focus on “foundational principles” rather than narratives such as critical race theory that views all of history through the lens of race, and suggests that racism still infects almost every institution in the U.S. today.

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