Oklahoma governor signs ban on teaching critical race theory
SEAN MURPHY, The Associated Press
May 7, 2021
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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Oklahoma public school teachers will be prohibited from teaching certain concepts of race and racism under a bill Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law Friday.
The GOP-backed bill prohibits teaching of so-called “critical race theory.”
“Now more than ever, we need policies that bring us together, not rip us apart, Stitt said in a video statement on Twitter. “As governor, I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex. That is what this bill upholds for public education.
Oklahoman
A group of Black preachers and community leaders from the metro area said they walked away disappointed after a recent meeting with Gov. Kevin Stitt about a controversial critical race theory bill.
The Rev. A. Byron Coleman III, senior pastor of Fifth Street Baptist Church, said he and other ministers and leaders affiliated with predominantly Black congregations urged Stitt on Wednesday to veto House Bill 1775. HB 1775 moves us further from progress and reconciliation, the clergy leaders said in a news release.
The Rev. Derrick Scobey requested the meeting with the governor after a metro minister, the Rev. Tony Rhone, senior pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in Shawnee, asked him to see whether Stitt would be willing to discuss the bill in person.
Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill on Friday which limits race and gender curriculum in secondary and post-secondary schools across the state.
The bill bans colleges and universities from mandating race and gender diversity training and K-12 schools from teaching from a list of so-called divisive concepts.
House Bill 1775, in part, bans K-12 schools from teaching an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive,” and “bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex.
The bill also bans schools from teaching that cause students “discomfort, guilt, anguish or psychological distress” due to their race or sex.
Rep. Justin Humphrey. Image: Twitter/@DawnDash
Oklahoma Rep. Justin Humphrey (R) compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the KKK last Thursday on the House floor.
Humphrey made the comment during discussions on a state bill banning critical race theory. The bill, which was proposed in February, would prohibit state colleges and universities from requiring gender or sexual diversity training and would prohibit other topics on race and sex to be discussed.
Humphrey first described the KKK as terrible before throwing the Black Lives Matter movement into the same arena.
“Everybody agrees on this floor that they have burned, that they have threatened, that they have destroyed, that’s what they’re famous for,” Humphrey said according to
Oklahoman
Political pressure is mounting on both sides of a controversial bill that would ban public schools and universities from teaching critical race theory.
Some educators are urging Gov. Kevin Stitt to veto the legislation, which passed both chambers of the Oklahoma Legislature with overwhelming Republican support.
House Bill 1775 would prohibit instructors from teaching that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another,” and that “an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive.”
It would explicitly forbid critical race theory, which examines the way race and racism influence American politics, legal systems and society.