An approach to teaching that emphasizes the existence of systemic racism in the United States that has caught the attention of the Biden administration is coming under attack in Georgia and other Republican-led states.
Gov. Brian Kemp sent a letter to the state Board of Education Thursday opposing the teaching of “critical race theory” in Georgia schools.
“It is ridiculous that the Biden administration is considering using taxpayer funds to push a blatantly partisan agenda in Georgia classrooms,” the governor wrote. “Parents, educators and local communities here in the Peach State know best how to educate their students – not the federal government.”
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Critical race theory is also drawing fire from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who has joined 19 other GOP attorneys general in opposition to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Education to prioritize critical race theory in the awarding of federal grants.
“I believe in history by addition, not history by revision,” Carr said. “This newly proposed rule would impose the flawed, radical teachings of critical race theory in Georgia’s schools. It must be rejected.”
The philosophical underpinning of critical race theory stems from The 1619 Project, developed by writers for The New York Times who believe the full history of Black Americans isn’t being told in U.S. classrooms. Critical race theory holds that racism is rooted in the nation’s history and continues today.
Conservative critics say the notion that the United States was founded on white supremacy and oppression is wrong.
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