Shelby County lawmakers react after bill banning teaching of Critical Race Theory passes This Jan. 8, 2020, photo shows the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (Source: Mark Humphrey) By WMC Action News 5 Staff | May 6, 2021 at 2:43 AM CDT - Updated May 6 at 2:43 AM An amendment to the bill states schools could lose state funding for teaching about systemic racism and white privilege. Shelby County lawmakers were divided over the bill. State Senator Brian Kelsey supports the measure. In a tweet, he said “Critical Race Theory teaches that American democracy is a lie. It teaches that the rule of law does not exist & is instead a series of power struggles among racial groups. It is harmful to our students & is antithetical to everything we stand for as Americans & as Tennesseans.”