The left is continuing its battle against critical race theory opponents. From smearing conservative lawmakers to berating concerned parents, they will stop at nothing to defend critical race theory and other historically inaccurate teachings. On Sunday’s PoliticsNation, host Al Sharpton warned that conservatives are showing up to school board meetings, and encouraged his left-wing viewers “to rise up together and show up to those same meetings, demanding that our children get a full and accurate history curriculum.”
Sharpton began his rant with the overused leftist lie that conservatives don’t understand critical race theory and that it isn’t being taught to grade school students: “...before we dig into the absurdity of the bans like this, let's be clear about what critical race theory actually is. It is just a strategy to analyze the way racist laws and events from our past impact our lives in the present, and despite the current kerfuffle over K-12 education, it is primarily taught in specialized law school classes.”
He also deceived when talking about Texas education standards: “One bill that already has passed the Texas Senate would eliminate the requirement that students be taught the quote, history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it was morally wrong.” The bill in question did not take anything away from the current curriculum, it only repealed specific requirements found in HB 3979. In reality, many of these requirements are already found in the Texas curriculum that is set by schools and the State Board of Education, not legislatures.
Sharpton then launched into a tirade attacking parents who object to the radical political propaganda being forced on their children:
But we can't get complacent. Having public opinion on our side is not enough, because the racist cowards that would fire teachers and ban certain books are accurately describing the history of racism and bigotry in this country are already showing up at school board meetings, and they’re loud. So we have to be louder. We have to rise up together and show up to those same meetings, demanding that our children get a full and accurate history curriculum.
Given his own shameful history of bigotry, Sharpton should think twice before accusing anyone else of being a "racist coward.”
He ended the segment with a message to the parents who watch his show:
If you have school-aged children, pay attention to what their history textbooks say, and make sure the lessons are being taught reflect reality. American history is littered with shameful policies, but it is also filled with freedom fighters. We cannot valorize American history without understanding the depths of the evil they fought against. To teach our children anything else is to rob them of their heritage and the truth. And they deserve better.
What Sharpton doesn’t seem to understand is that parents who are fighting against critical race theory are already paying attention to their child’s education. The reality is, teaching students that America is inherently racist is historically inaccurate, and parents have every right to stand up and voice their concerns. The liberal media are just upset that parents are fighting against the left, not with them.
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Below is a full transcript of the segment, click expand to read:
MSNBC’s PoliticsNation
8/1/2021
5:24 p.m. Eastern
AL SHARPTON: It's August 1st. So for this week's rise up, I want to talk about the coming school year. Millions of American children will be returning to school this month, only to find that their education has become a cultural battleground. More than a dozen states have either passed legislation banning the teaching of critical race theory or are considering similar bills. And on a local level, hundreds of school districts are in the middle of pitched fights on the topic, but we can dig into the --before we dig into the absurdity of the bans like this, let's be clear about what critical race theory actually is. It is just a strategy to analyze the way racist laws and events from our past impact our lives in the present, and despite the current kerfuffle over K-12 education, it is primarily taught in specialized law school classes.
But because the name can sound intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with it, some bad-faith actors are labeling all discussions of racism in the context of American history as critical race theory and trying to sweep those unflattering errors under the rug. Let's look at Texas, for example. One bill that already has passed the Texas Senate would eliminate the requirement that students be taught the quote, history of white supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it was morally wrong.
That bill is bad enough, but Texas has already passed a law preventing the teaching of concepts that make students, quote, uncomfortable on the basis of race or sex. So if learning about the true barbarism of American slavery, or the racist violence of the Klan makes students uncomfortable, it's no longer required in the Lone Star State, but here's the thing about history, it should make you uncomfortable. Many of the same founding fathers who wrote soaring words about liberty and justice for all, owned human beings, trading, beating, and working them like chattel. Being a patriot is knowing all of that and still believing in the promise of this country that we can do better than our ancestors.
Luckily, most Americans know that. Even in ruby red, Iowa, for instance, most people oppose the new law banning discussions of systemic racism and sexism in schools. But we can't get complacent. Having public opinion on our side is not enough, because the racist cowards that would fire teachers and ban certain books are accurately describing the history of racism and bigotry in this country are already showing up at school board meetings, and they’re loud. So we have to be louder. We have to rise up together and show up to those same meetings, demanding that our children get a full and accurate history curriculum.
If you have school-aged children, pay attention to what their history textbooks say, and make sure the lessons are being taught reflect reality. American history is littered with shameful policies, but it is also filled with freedom fighters. We cannot valorize American history without understanding the depths of the evil they fought against. To teach our children anything else is to rob them of their heritage and the truth. And they deserve better.
