>>> REPUBLICANS ARE WAGING A
SCORCHED EARTH CAMPAIGN AGAINST
ANYONE WHO TEACHES A BROAD
HISTORY OF AMERICA.
JUST YESTERDAY TEXAS SENATE
REPUBLICANS MOVED TO STRIKE
REQUIREMENTS AND CERTIFY
DEMOCRATS THAT PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TEACH ABOUT MARTIN LUTHER KING
JR., THE KU KLUX KLAN, WOMENS
SUFFRAGE AND A NUMBER OF OTHER
TOPICS RELATED TO INDIGENOUS
PEOPLE, IMMIGRANT RIGHTS AND THE
CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
THE BILL WOULD EFFECTIVELY LEAVE
IT UP TO SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO
DECIDE WHOS HISTORY IS TAUGHT.
ITS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF HOW
REPUBLICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
HAVE TURNED HISTORY INTO A WEDGE
ISSUE.
TEACHERS LIKE RODNEY PIERCE ARE
CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE.
PIERCE IS A SOCIAL STUDIES
TEACHER AT RED OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL
IN BATTLEBORO, NORTH CAROLINA,
AND WAS SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER
OF THE YEAR IN 2019.
HE SOUGHT TO INSPIRE HIS
STUDENTS BY TEACHING THEM ABOUT
LOCAL HISTORY, THE VARIOUS
MONUMENTS TO CONFEDERATES AND
THE HISTORY OF HORRIFIC
LYNCHINGS IN THE AREA.
NOW PIERCE IS FACING BACKLASH
FROM PARENTS SAYING THAT HIS
TEACHING OF HISTORY AND RACE IS
BIASED.
THAT HE INSISTS ON TALKING ABOUT
SLAVERY, AND THAT HE HAS A
PERCEIVED POLITICAL SLANT,
ACCUSING HIM OF LYING WHEN HE
QUOTED FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP VERBATIM.
JOINING ME NOW IS RODNEY PIERCE,
SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER AT RED
OAK MIDDLE SCHOOL.
HE JOINS IN HIS PERSONAL
CAPACITY AND HIS VIEWS DO NOT
REPRESENT THOSE OF THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT.
MR. PIERCE, IT IS GREAT TO SEE
YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING
TO "THE REIDOUT."
IF YOU NOTICE, I STUMBLED OVER
THIS IDEA THAT YOU ARE INSISTING
ON TEACHING CHILDREN, TEACHING
STUDENTS ABOUT SLAVERY.
PLEASE, YOUR RESPONSE TO PARENTS
WHO SAY THAT YOU ARE INSISTING
ON DOING THAT.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, MR.
CAPEHART.
AND AGAIN, I WANT TO REITERATE
WHAT YOU SAID IN TERMS OF MY
VIEWS BEING MY PERSONAL VIEWS
AND NOT THOSE OF MY DISTRICT.
IF YOU DO NOT TEACH THE HISTORY
OF SLAVERY OF THE UNITED STATES,
THEN YOURE NOT TEACHING THE
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES,
PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
WE HAD WHITES WHO ENSLAVED
AFRICANS.
WE HAD AFRICANS WHO ENSLAVED
AFRICANS.
WE HAD INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO
ENSLAVED AFRICANS, WE HAD
INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO WERE
ENSLAVED.
OUR FOCUS IS ON THE SLAVERY THAT
OCCURRED HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES AS WELL AS IN THE STATE
OF NORTH CAROLINA.
IF WERE NOT ALLOWED TO TEACH
THAT HISTORY TO OUR STUDENTS,
THEN WE DO THEM A DISSERVICE AS
WELL AS THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR
COMMUNITIES.
AND THE TRAVESTY THAT IS
SURROUNDING CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, THERES A QUOTE BY
GEORGE ORWELL WHO SAYS WHO
CONTROLS THE PAST CONTROLS THE
FUTURE, AND WHO CONTROLS THE
PRESENT CONTROLS THE PAST.
AND WHATS GOING ON IS THAT THIS
IS AN ATTEMPT BY THOSE POLICY
MAKERS AND LAWMAKERS WHO CONTROL
THE PRESENT TRYING TO CONTROL
WHAT IS TAUGHT ABOUT THE PAST AS
IT PERTAINS TO SLAVERY SO THAT
THEY CAN CONTROL THE FUTURE.
>> MR. PIERCE, HOW RECEPTIVE ARE
PARENTS TO YOU, THE ONES WHO
COMPLAIN, THE ONES YOUVE
COMMUNICATED WITH, WHO ARE
SAYING YOURE TRYING TO, QUOTE
UNQUOTE, INDOCTRINATE MY CHILD
ON ISSUES OF HISTORY AND RACE.
HOW RECEPTIVE ARE THEY TO THE
FACT THAT YOU ARE TEACHING
HISTORY?
>> WELL, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY AT
THIS POINT THEY ARE RECEPTIVE,
BUT IT DIDNT START OFF THAT
WAY.
THERE WERE SOME INCIDENTS THAT
OCCURRED WHERE WE HAD SOME
COMPLAINTS AND I BASICALLY HAD
TO STATE MY POSITION AND SHOW
HOW IT WAS RELATIVE TO THE
SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS WHICH I
WORKED ON FOR THE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA AND ALSO SHOW HOW IT
WAS RELATIVE TO THE UNPACKING
DOCUMENTS, WHICH I ALSO WORKED
ON FOR THE STATE OF NORTH
CAROLINA.
AND ONCE THAT CONNECTION IS MADE
AND THE ADMINISTRATORS
UNDERSTAND THAT THAT CONNECTION
IS MADE AND THAT WHAT IS BEING
TAUGHT IS COVERED BY THAT, THEN
THEY SUPPORT -- THEY ARE
SUPPORTIVE OF IT AND PARENTS
USUALLY UNDERSTAND AT THAT
POINT.
I THINK IT WAS SOMETIMES THAT IT
WAS THAT INSISTENCE THAT YOU
MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN
THE INSTITUTIONS OF CHATTEL
SLAVERY AND CONTEMPORARY THINGS
IN THE UNITED STATES.
FOR INSTANCE, THE PLANTATION OF
MONTICELLO IS ON THE BACK OF
AMERICAN CURRENCY, ITS ON THE
BACK OF THE NICKEL.
THATS THE PLANTATION OF ONE OF
OUR, QUOTE UNQUOTE, FOUNDING
FATHERS, THOMAS JEFFERSON.
FIRST SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE
UNITED STATES, THIRD PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES, BUT A MAN
WHO ENSLAVED UP TO 600 PEOPLE ON
THAT PLANTATION, WHICH IS ON THE
BACK OF A PIECE OF AMERICAN
CURRENCY.
SO WHEN YOU TRY TO DOWNPLAY OR
DENOUNCE OR DISMISS THE IMPACT
OF THAT INSTITUTION ON OUR
HISTORY, I DONT -- I JUST DONT
UNDERSTAND IT AND I HAVE TO
BRING IT INTO THE CLASSROOM AND
TEACH ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT IS
RELATIVE.
>> YOU KNOW, MR. PIERCE, ITS A
BIT OF A SHAME THAT THE WORD
THAT POPPED INTO MY HEAD AS I
HEARD YOU SPEAKING ALL THAT
TRUTH IS BRAVERY.
YOURE INCREDIBLY BRAVE TO BE
HERE TONIGHT, TO SPEAK TRUTH AND
TO SPEAK IT PLAINLY.
BUT IM WONDERING WHAT WOULD YOU
SAY TO OTHER EDUCATORS OUT
THERE, OTHER TEACHERS IN GRADE
SCHOOLS AND HIGH SCHOOLS WHO ARE
FEELING THE TENSION BETWEEN WHAT
THE PARENTS WANT AND WHAT THE
POLITICIANS WANT AND THEIR DUTY
TO TELLING THE TRUTH AND TO
TELLING -- TO TEACHING HISTORY?
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM
TO BUCK UP THEIR COURAGE, TO
EMULATE THE BRAVERY THAT YOURE
SHOWING?
>> YES, SIR.
WELL, IM A MAN OF FAITH, IM A
CHRISTIAN.
THE WORD SAYS NO WEAPON FORMED
AGAINST US SHALL PROSPER.
IT ALSO SAYS STUDY TO SHOW
THYSELF APPROVED.
IF WE PUT IN THE WORK AND STUDY
TO SHOW OURSELVES APPROVED, PUT
IN THE WORK IN TERMS OF DOING
THAT RESEARCH, FINDING THOSE
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES TO
BACK UP OUR INSTRUCTION AND STAY
ON GOOD TERMS WITH OUR
COLLEAGUES, WITH OUR
ADMINISTRATORS AND WITH OUR
PARENTS.
YOURE NOT GOING TO SATISFY
EVERYBODY, THATS LIFE.
BUT AS LONG AS YOU, AGAIN, STAY
PRAYED UP, MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO
YOUR WORK, DO YOUR RESEARCH,
HAVE THE SOURCES TO BACK UP THE
CONTENT THAT YOURE BRINGING IN
THE CLASSROOM, MAKE SURE YOUR
ADMINISTRATORS KNOW WHAT YOURE
BRINGING IN THE CLASSROOM, REACH
OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE AT THE
UNIVERSITY LEVEL, SEND THEM
EMAILS, FOLLOW THEM ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, TALK TO THEM.
TALK TO THEM.
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THOSE OF
US IN K THROUGH 12 ARE AFRAID TO
REACH OUT TO THOSE IN ACADEMIA
BECAUSE WE FEEL THEYRE IN IVORY
TOWERS.
ONE OF THE THINGS IVE LEARNED
INTERACTING WITH THOSE PEOPLE IS
THAT THEY HAVE THE UTMOST
RESPECT FOR K THROUGH 12
EDUCATORS.
EVERY PROFESSION STARTS IN THE
CLASSROOM AND THATS WHERE THEY
STARTED THEIR EDUCATION BEFORE
THEY BECAME EDUCATORS AT A
HIGHER LEVEL.
>> AND WITH THAT, RODNEY PIERCE,
MR. PIERCE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH