Rhode Island lawmakers introduce legislation fighting back against CRT
Republican lawmakers in Rhode Island introduced a bill that would ban Critical Race Theory at Universities.
Republican lawmakers in the Rhode Island legislature introduced a bill banning the “divisive subjects” of critical race theory from all public schools and universities.
Introduced on March 3, the bill, H 6070, proposes requiring state universities receiving grants and training to adopt “provisions banning the teaching of divisive concepts and shall prohibit making any individual feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of their race or sex.”
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The bill defined the divisive subjects in question as those claiming that an individual is “by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,” “moral character is necessarily determined by their race or sex,” or that individuals bear “responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.”
It also targets the idea that “Meritocracy or traits such as hard work ethic are racist or sexist or were created by a particular race to oppress another race.”
The bill also included other provisions for restricting “Race or sex stereotyping” and “Race or sex scapegoating,” concepts that attribute character traits, ethics ,or morals to a particular group, and cast a wide net of blame for societal issues on a particular race or sex.
Additionally, the bill calls for a total prohibition on teaching critical race theory and a mandate requiring that “any contract, grant or training program entered into by the state or any municipality include provisions prohibiting teaching divisive concepts and prohibit making any individual feel discomfort, guilty, anguish or any distress on account of their race or sex.”
Rep. Patricia Morgan (R) of Rhode Island is one of the three representatives who are pushing this bill in the house. She told Campus Reform she was alarmed by Critical Race Theory and that “Its race shaming and backward approach to race in America are disturbing.”
She said that she will “continue to build awareness of its presence and its destructive and divisive practices.”
Morgan recalled memories of Martin Luther King Jr. from when she was a teenager. On August 28, 1963 she saw him deliver I Have A Dream live at the Lincoln Memorial.
“He set the goal for America: That one day everyone in America would be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” she said.
According to Morgan, critical race theory does just the opposite, she continued, causing Americans no longer to see each other as individuals but groups divided by the color of their skin. She can think of “nothing more destructive to the cohesiveness of American culture than imposing [this] new type of racism.”
Morgan was shocked by how widespread is CRT in the American education system and told Campus Reform “I knew indoctrination was occurring at Brown University, RISD and URI, but from the response I have received to my bills in the past few days, I find that the left has surreptitiously infiltrated all our colleges and universities and K-12 schools.”
“We would never accept race shaming if directed towards black school children,” Morgan said, ”And we should not accept it when directed at white school children. Or for that matter against anyone based on the color of their skin.“
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