Republican gubernatorial candidates Jim Pillen and Charles Herbster traded verbal jabs on Tuesday over their positions against teaching critical race theory.
Herbster began with a press release suggesting that Pillen, a regent at the University of Nebraska, has a “kissing history.”
“Because of his liberal ideology and weak leadership, Pillen is the reason the university indoctrinates our students,” Herbster said.
“Jim Pillen’s lack of action and courage on critical race theory when Nebraska students needed him most is shocking,” Herbster said. “His sudden reversal in paid advertising for political purposes is too little, too late.”
Kenny Zoeller, Pillen’s campaign manager, responded with a statement stating, “Jim Pillen was the first elected regent in America to take a stand against critical race theory.
“Jim has been a nationally recognized leader in the fight against CRT in higher education and in our schools,” Zoeller said.
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“Jim will always fight to ensure that our schools educate, not indoctrinate, our students.”
Critical Race Theory is loosely defined as an academic concept that racism is not simply the product of individual prejudice or prejudice, but is also something that is embedded in legal systems and policies. It is usually taught in higher level university courses.
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A Closer Look at Critical Race Theory
What is Critical Race Theory?
Critical race theory is a way of thinking about American history through the prism of racism. Scholars developed it during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what they saw as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s.
It focuses on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain white dominance in society.
The architects of the theory argue that the United States was founded on the theft of land and labor and that federal law preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race. Proponents also believe that race is culturally invented, not biological.
Kimberlé Crenshaw, executive director of the African American Policy Forum, a New York-based social justice think tank, was an early proponent. Initially, she says, it was “just about telling a fuller story of who we are.”
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Why are Republicans upset?
Many Republicans view the concepts underlying critical race theory as an effort to rewrite American history and persuade white people that they are inherently racist and should feel guilty because of their advantages.
But the theory has also become something of a catch-all phrase to describe racial concepts that some conservatives find objectionable, such as white privilege, systemic inequality and inherent bias.
Pictured: Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Arizona, center, speaks during a press conference with Rep. Ralph Norman, RS.C., back left, and Rep. Dan Bishop, RN.C ., Wednesday, May 12. 2021, as they voice their opposition to “critical race theory”, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
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How do states deal with it?
So far, 25 states have considered legislation or other measures to limit how race and racism can be taught, according to an analysis by Education Week. Eight states, all led by Republicans, have banned or restricted the teaching of critical race theory or similar concepts by law or administrative action. The prohibitions largely relate to what can be taught in the classroom. While some state bills mention critical race theory by name, others do not.
Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill that would ban public school teachers from incorporating any of the 10 concepts into their curriculum. This includes the idea that the advent of slavery in what is now the United States marks the true founding of the nation.
At the request of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, that state’s Board of Education approved a resolution last week stating that the teaching of critical race theory and the use of teaching materials related to the 1619 Project violate state standards. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, and two other GOP senators introduced a resolution last month that “condemns the practice of requiring teachers to undergo critical race theory training.”
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