On Monday, Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones (R) slammed critical race theory as “racism” that shouldn’t be taught to America’s youth.
“I’m against it. You know, Maria, if you asked 10 different people what is critical race theory, you get 10 different answers,” Jones explained to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “So, we do know one thing that everybody knows is race-based. And if you teach it in school, it’s racism.”
Bartiromo pointed out that kids are being labeled as racists before they have a chance to speak their minds. “Tell me about the impact to this on our population.”
“See, Maria, that’s what I was saying earlier. You ask 10 different people, you get 10 different definitions. It’s been taught different ways in different schools, and it’s being abused,” the gubernatorial candidate explained. “And the problem is you are taking young people who are next to another young person and pitting one against the other, and you say to even white children, ‘Look, you’re responsible for what happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago,’ and they don’t have a clue.”
“So, it being race-based, and you are teaching in a way that you’re teaching racism. It does not make any sense. I’m totally against it. Georgia shouldn’t have it. I call on our governor to stop it,” Jones explained. “I was with the local school board just recently the other night. I had my representative there saying, ‘Look, ban it in those local schools.’ There is no place for critical race theory. We can’t talk about history. We can’t talk about things we know about, teach about things we don’t know about, where it’s becoming abusive. And it’s racism and race-based. What else can you say? It just should not be taught.”
At the end of April, Idaho became the first state to ban critical race theory. Oklahoma and Tennessee quickly followed suit, per a report from The Daily Mail.
According to Sinclair Broadcast Group, other states, including Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, South Dakota, and Arizona have moved forward with similar legislation that would bar the controversial curriculum from being taught in schools.
Critical race theory is based on the 1619 project, which New York Times writer Nike Hannah-Jones played a vital role in writing. The central theme behind the Project’s conclusion is 1619 is the year slaves were brought from Africa to the United States, which they claim is when America was actually founded. The Project also surmises that the American Revolution was fought to preserve slavery. Both of those arguments are factually inaccurate. America’s foundation was solidified in 1776. The American Revolution was fought so that the United States could gain independence from Great Britain.
Major historians, among them Pulitzer-Prize winners, have blasted the 1619 Project for its inaccuracy, as reported here.