Do you agree with this book that is being taught with kids that the babies
are racist.
>> Senator?
I do not believe that any child should be made
to feel as though they are racist or
though they are not valued or though they are less than.
That they're victims that their oppressors.
I don't believe in any of that.
>> You just watched the ridiculous culture war circus that the Supreme Court
confirmation hearings have turned into.
And Ted Cruz has really worked hard to take the mantle of top circus clown.
Really he has and in that case he was making a big deal
over a private school that decided to use a book titled Anti Racist Baby.
It's written by Ibrahim X.
Candy and apparently he doesn't like that.
A private school has decided to assign an anti racist books.
So I wanna give you some more details about what this book is.
And the context of of how this conversation came up
according to the New York times.
It was a question about whether or not infants were racist that drew the first
detectable sign of exasperation from judge Jackson.
You saw that in the video,
who sits on the board of trustees at Georgetown Day School.
Again, let me reiterate a private school in Washington where the city's elite,
both conservatives and liberal send their children okay.
And so unfortunately we have more footage of this ridiculous exchange.
But it's important to watch it so we can have a good hearty conversation about it?
Let's watch.
>> Are you comfortable with with these ideas being taught to children
as young as four in respect to the first book as young as eight and nine.
In respect to the second book.
>> Senator, I have not reviewed any of those books.
Any of those ideas.
They don't come up in my work as a judge which I'm respectfully here to address.
In my work as a judge which is evidenced from my near decade on the bench.
>> [LAUGH] I like that.
>> I thought that she's excellent.
I don't know how she finds the patience to deal with hours of this garbage.
It's now the fourth day of the confirmation hearings and
it's just being used long days.
It's just being used for posturing political theater asking
her questions about things that she has nothing to do with.
It's just really like manufacturing controversies about her.
We've seen that from Senator Josh Hawley.
I'm beyond impressed with her patience, her grace.
And the way that she handled in that last video I think was great because she made
an important point there.
I am here for something specific and
I'm not being asked questions about that specific thing.
>> Yeah, I'm glad that she clarified that because I had actually been confused for
a few days about why the entire country was paying attention to hours of testimony
to choose the next child author or kindergarten teacher.
Those are important jobs.
I just didn't think that they needed to be covered live by CNN of course it has
nothing to do with her.
He knows that it has nothing to do with her.
She was on the board of trustees.
They're not browsing the library.
That's not how that works.
So that's a huge issue obviously that he makes her confirmation hearing about this
is testament to the vetting that the Biden administration apparently did.
Because they had 1000 right wing goons looking through everything she's ever said
and done to find something.
And apparently the best that they've got is a school where she's on the trustees
in one class has a book that theoretically is available that he's
misinterpreting to have a problem with?
That's the best that you've got beat.
By the way, if we're gonna talk about the book,
which we shouldn't be be more specific.
He said, are you comfortable with these ideas being taught.
What ideas you just said that the book says that babies are racist.
That's not what the book says.
>> Exactly.
>> The book implies that someone who is young even can experience or
express racial bias.
That's not up for debate.
Scientifically proven that even young people can experience racial bias.
And which is better to address it or to ignore it,
which is less likely to result in more racism.
What is it that they're gonna break down crying because you point out that they
might have gotten something wrong.
That's what school is at one point,
you literally don't know how to tie your shoelaces.
And if you tie your ankles together,
they don't just say great job because I'm worried you might cry if I correct you.
That's not the purpose of school.
>> Yeah, it's interesting because like some might argue,
well these kids are so young.
Why would they need to learn about these concepts so early?
But look,
I'm gonna talk about a personal experience to give an example of why it's important.
So, before I started gonna school look, my parents sheltered the hell out of me.
Like my parents are immigrants.
My mom is scared that if she like goes to the mall, she's gonna get lost.
Like it's a new country for them.
They're terrified, right?
Like not terrified, but they're just very protective.
And so the first time I had ever had any contact with a black student was
when I was in school.
A black person was when I was in school,
the first time I saw someone and it was in kindergarten, right?
And since it was the first time I was actually aware of race or
racial differences.
I had asked her a question and
the question was hurtful to her because I asked about her hair, right?
I asked her, why is your hair like that?
I didn't know I'm a kindergartner.
I don't know any of this stuff.
I'm just asking at that time it's an innocent question, but
obviously it causes hurt in someone and it's not right.
The education is important because kids should understand like what
differences are.
And how racial discrimination is wrong, how we're all the same people.
We're all people like we should love and respect each other.
That's a good education, not a bad education.
Ted Cruz is pointing to that as something that's like demonic,
something that's terrible, right?
As if that book and the education that comes along with it teaches people to hate
themselves, teaches kids to hate themselves.
No, it's helping kids understand?
Yes, appearance wise.
There might be differences among us.
Certainly, society treats people differently unfortunately.
But it also helps them understand the importance of loving and
respecting one another?
>> Yeah, that incident that you had is an opportunity for growth and
learning what they say that they want is for that you didn't ask the question.
And then the teachers come in and be nobody said anything else.
Just back off, don't address any of this.
We can't, actually think about no.
And so look, if you wanna have a debate about the book,
we're perfectly willing clearly to have a debate about the book.
Because we're not afraid of any of this and we don't think that people are so
weak that they need to be shielded from the concept of racism.
Particularly in a society that has never shielded people from the consequences
of racism.
If people have to experience racial animus and bias,
I think the people that are statistically on the side of doing it should at least be
aware of what they're doing.
But let's also bear in mind what Ted Cruz is doing.
Ted Cruz who would love to say that he hates the idea of safe spaces.
And coddling kids wants a safe space from discussions of racism to coddle kids whose
parents probably are kinda racist.
And don't want their kids to know about it.
And what would he have her do now?
She's not gonna be in charge of the curriculum there as a member of
the Supreme Court.
She has no authority.
But what he's hinting he wants done is for
even private schools to have books banned at them.
They should ban them themselves.
And if they don't, the government should force them to ban those books.
>> No, let's just discuss the kinda freedom that private schools,
religious private schools have in their curriculum.
You wanna play that game.
You wanna open that Pandora's box Ted Cruz.
Let's open that Pandora's box because there's all sorta policies in private
right wing Christian schools that I'd love to do away with.
Particularly policies having to do with whether or
not students are having premarital sex?
I think it's super creepy?
I don't want school administrators getting involved in that.
So why don't we get the government to regulate private
schools to ban that behavior?
You want that Ted Cruz, You wanna open that Pandora's box.
And look,
the problem is we don't have democrats who are willing to play hardball like that.
>> Exactly.
Yeah, I'm sure if we were to dig into almost any right wing private school.
There's books that we would find to be disgusting and in theory,
we could advocate for them to be banned.
It's not the sorta person I am.
It's not the part of movement I wanna be a part of, but
that is what he wanna open game on.
If you don't like it, ban it.
If you don't wanna read it, don't let anyone read it.
That is the movement that Ted Cruz is an enthusiastic part of.
>> And listen, it's a private school in DC where wealthy people send their kids.
I guarantee you, if wealthy people had a problem with the curriculum there.
They wouldn't be shelling out the cash to send their kids to this day school.