ANECTDOTAL EVIDENCE...THAT PRESS CONFERENCE BY STATE
EDUCATORS...DIDN'T SEEM
TO STOP WHAT WAS
HAPPENING AT THE
STATEHOUSE...ON DAY 102
"I HAVE LIVED IN A LOT
OF PLACES AROUND THE
WORLD, AND AMERICA IS
STILL THE LEAST RACIST
PLACE THAT I HAVE EVER
BEEN"
SO SAYS THE 31 YEAR-
OLD WHITE MAN FROM
NAMPA.
AND "LEAST
RACIST"...DOESN'T
EXACTLY ABSOLVE US
FROM ACTUAL, EXISTING
RACISM IN THIS COUNTRY.
WHAT REPRESENTATIVE
BEN ADAMS SAID THIS
MORNING WAS JUST A
SMALL SAMPLE OF WHAT
WAS HEARD DURING THE
FLOOR DEBATE OF HOUSE
BILL 377.
THIS BILL IS THE LATEST
ATTEMPT TO ADD A LAYER
OF CONTROL OVER
WHAT'S BEING TAUGHT TO
IDAHO'S STUDENTS.
AN EDUCATION AND
FISCAL POLICY...FUNNELED
THROUGH LANGUAGE LIKE
"DIGNITY AND NON-
DISCRIMINATION IN
PUBLIC" SCHOOLS.
THAT ANY SEX, RACE,
ETHINICITY, RELIGION,
COLOR, OR NATIONAL
ORIGIN...SHOULD BE
TREATED DIFFERENTLY OR
FAVORABLY...OR BLAMED
FOR ACTIONS COMMITTED
BY MEMBERS OF THOSE
GROUPS IN THE PAST.
ATTACHING FUNDING TO
"TENETS" OF WHAT SOME
LAWMAKERS CALL
CRITICAL RACE
THEORY...WHICH...AS
REPRESENTATIVE HEATHER
SCOTT SAID...HAS BEEN
"CREEPING THROUGH OUR
SCHOOLS FOREVER."
AND WE MIGHT NOT
EVEN BE AWARE OF IT.
TO ILLUSTRATE THAT "NOT
EVEN KNOWING ABOUT
IT"...SHE SHARED AN
EXAMPLE FROM A
SUBSTITUTE TEACHER
"DOWN IN THE BOISE
AREA."
'TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.'
SHE SAID THE MESSAGE IS
MADE CLEAR: WHITE
PEOPLE ARE BAD, BLACK
PEOPLE ARE INNOCENT
VICTIMS, AND THE
STUDENTS WERE
ENCOURAGED TO BELIEVE
THAT THERE WAS AN
ENDLESS ERROR OF BLACK
VICTIMIZATION.
THAT'S BEING TAUGHT
DOWN HERE.
DOWN HERE.
"TO
"TO KILL
"TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD" IS IN FACT A BOOK ABOUT RACISM.
A BOOK ABOUT A BLACK
MAN BEING PUT ON TRIAL
IN JIM CROW-ERA
ALABAMA...AFTER BEING
FALSELY ACCUSED OF RAPE
BY A WHITE WOMAN.
AND MAYBE ASK THOSE
IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM ABOUT "ENDLESS
BLACK VICTIMIZATION."
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT
HAD MORE TO SAY.
AND THE ENGLISH CLASS,
SHE SAID IT IS MORE
RIDDLED WITH AUTHORS,
LIKE OUR FOUNDING
HISTORICAL FICTION
BOOKS AND THE BOOKS
THAT KIND OF TALK
ABOUT THE FOUNDING OF
THIS COUNTRY, SHE SAID
IT'S BEEN RIDDLED WITH
WRITINGS FROM THIRD-
WORLD EXPERIENCES BY
AUTHORS THAT ARE
COMPLETELY UNHEARD
OF, BUT THEY ARE NON-
WHITE
WHITE RACE. SO ANY NON-WHITE AUTHOR IS BASICALLY
BEING GIVEN PRIORITY
OVER THE HISTORICAL
READINGS."
READINGS."
THAT
THAT TESTIMONY WAS QUICKLY OBJECTED TO...FROM
REPRESENTATIVE SALLY
TOONE...WHO POINTED
OUT THIS WAS SECOND-
HAND INFORMATION
FROM A
SUBSTITUTE...WHO LIKELY
ISN'T PRIVY TO ACTUAL
LESSON PLANS.
POINTING OUT THOSE
BOOKS...BY THE
WAY...WERE APPROVED BY
THE LOCAL SCHOOL
DISTRICT.
BUT BACK TO POINTING
OUT NON-WHITE
AUTHORS.
I THOUGHT...THE POINT
OF DISTANCING
OURSELVES FROM
CRITICAL RACE
THEORY...WAS THAT WE
AREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE
COLOR?
WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT
REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT
SAID WHEN SHE WAS
CRITICIZING A FLYER
ALLEGEDLY FOUND IN THE
BATHROOM OF A MIDDLE
SCHOOL IN MERIDIAN.
SEEING COLOR...LEADS TO
DIVISION...SHE SAID.
MEANWHILE...REPRESENT
ATIVE JOHN MCCROSTIE
FROM GARDEN CITY...AN
ACTUAL
TEACHER...WONDERED
ACTUAL TEACHER...WONDERED WHEN THIS CRITICAL RACE
THEORY WAS BEING
TAUGHT...AND HOW...OVER
THE PAST TWO SCHOOL
YEARS.
YEARS.
"YOU'VE
"YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD ME SHARE WITH YOU THIS SESSION THAT THERE JUST
HAS NOT BEEN TIME FOR
OUR TEACHERS TO
INDOCTRINATE STUDENTS
ON CRITICAL RACE
THEORY BECAUSE THEY
HAVE BEEN TRYING AND
WORKING THEIR TAILS OFF
TO TAKE WHAT THEY
KNOW HOW TO TEACH
AND CONVERT IT INTO A
HYBRID, A VIRTUAL, EVEN
IN-PERSON LEARNING DUE
TO COVID.
TO COVID.
TO
TO COVID.
TO COVID. AND HE REMINDED THE CHAMBER...THE LAST
QUARTER OF LAST
YEAR...ALSO TAKEN
AWAY...BECAUSE OF COVID.
SO WHEN WAS THIS
"INDOCTRINATION"
SUPPOSEDLY TAKING
PLACE DURING THE LAST
TWO YEARS OF
SCHOOL...HE ASKED?
THE BILL PASSED ALONG
PARTY LINES AND NOW
HEADS TO THE SENATE.
WE'VE HAD THIS
QUESTION BEFORE...SO
MAYBE THIS IS A GOOD
TIME TO ADDRESS IT.
WHAT EXACTLY IS
CRITICAL RACE THEORY?
IT IS A TERM COINED BY
LEGAL SCHOLAR KIMBERLE
CHRENSHAW THREE
DECADES AGO.
IT IS BASED ON THE
BELIEF THAT RACISM
DIDN'T CEASE TO EXIST
WITH THE PASSAGE OF
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT IN
1965.
NOR DID IT END IN 2008
WITH THE ELECTION OF
BARACK OBAMA TO THE
PRESIDENCY.
AND ACCORDING TO THE
AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION...
CRITICAL RACE THEORY
CRITIQUES HOW THE
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION
OF RACE AND
INSTITUTIONALIZED
RACISM PERPETUATE A
RACIAL CASTE SYSTEM
THAT RELEGATES PEOPLE
OF COLOR TO THE
BOTTOM TIERS.
IT ALSO RECOGNIZES
THAT RACE INTERSECTS
WITH OTHER IDENTITIES,
INCLUDING SEXUALITY,
GENDER IDENTITY, AND
OTHERS.
IT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT
THE LEGACY OF SLAVERY,
SEGREGATION, AND THE
IMPOSITION OF SECOND-
CLASS CITIZENSHIP ON
BLACK AMERICANS AND
OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR
CONTINUE TO PERMEATE
THE SOCIAL FABRIC OF
THIS NATION.
SEEING COLOR DOESN'T
LEAD TO DIVISION.
BUT BEING DISHONEST
DOES.
AND BEING UNABLE TO
LISTEN, UNDERSTAND,
AND ACCEPT OTHER
PERSPECTIVES MOST
CERTAINLY DOES.
SO I GUESS..BASED ON
WHAT WAS HEARD IN
IDAHO'S HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES THIS
MORNIING...WHAT KIND
OF INDOCTRINATION
SHOULD WE BE WORRIED