Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) introduced a bill on Wednesday that would ban U.S. Military Service Academies from teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT).
Green, a West Point alumni and Iraq war veteran, called CRT a “Marxist ideology” that will undermine the ability’s core mission to protect America.
“Critical Race Theory is based on a massive and purposeful misunderstanding of the American founding, American history, and America as it exists today. This is a Marxist ideology created to tear American institutions down. It teaches Americans and members of the Armed Services to judge one another by the color of their skin instead of by the “content of their character.” America should never go back to this kind of thinking. A curriculum based on Critical Race Theory seeks to divide Americans instead of unite them,” Green said in a press release for his bill. “The United States military service academies are designed to train leaders and warriors for combat—men and women of every race, creed, and religion. Critical Race Theory’s divisiveness will destroy the unit cohesion necessary to win in combat and defend this nation.”
Green’s office also pointed out that Service Academies have implemented CRT due to pressure from the Pentagon, with some Academies even adding Diversity and Inclusion as a minor.
The Washington Free Beacon reported in April that West Point had been using “anti-racist” teaching tools and admissions practices. The outlet found that one reading list included the work of Ibram X. Kendi, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Nikole Hannah-Jones, all well-known critical race theorists. Kendi wrote the book, “How to be an Antiracist,” while Hannah-Jones created The New York Times’ much-criticized “1619 Project.”
“Internal documents also showed the military academy stressed the importance of diversity and inclusion to remain appealing to ‘America’s younger generation’ and competitive with other elite institutions that have embraced critical race theory,” the Free Beacon reported. “Critical race theory extends beyond military academies into branches of the armed forces. A recent U.S. Navy reading list for officers and sailors included books on ‘anti-racism,’ the criminal justice system, and gender politics.”
As The Daily Wire has reported, numerous state legislatures have passed or introduced bills to ban CRT from public schools. At the end of April, Idaho’s governor became the first to actually sign a bill banning CRT. Similar bills have passed in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Utah. The Oklahoma House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that would do the same. State Sen. Shane Jett previously told The Daily Wire that CRT is just Marxism using race in place of class.
“Using race instead of the traditional Marxist strategy of trying to pit classes against one another based on socioeconomic issues, they’ve chosen race which is immutable. You can’t change the color of your skin,” Jett said. “You can, in a meritorious system where we reward those who work hard and innovate, you can change your socioeconomic status by creating wealth by innovation, but you can’t change the color of your skin. So, they’ve chosen something that they’re using to create chaos to create a narrative that says your form of government doesn’t work.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) took his own action, directing the state’s education department to ban CRT from public schools, The Daily Wire previously reported.