Arkansas, Tennessee Move To Limit Education About Racism, Sexism

[Demovictory9]

AP: Arkansas Governor OKs Limits On Agencies' Race, Sex Training
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Monday effectively approved a law that places new limits on how race and sex are addressed in state employee training. The Republican governor allowed legislation to become law without his signature to prohibit state agencies from teaching employees, contractors or others to believe “divisive concepts.” The concepts include anything that says the U.S. is fundamentally racist or sexist. The measure, which takes effect next year, does not apply to public schools, colleges and universities, law enforcement training or local governments. (5/4)

USA Today: Tennessee Republicans Take On Critical Race Theory Lessons
In the final days of the legislative session, Republicans in the Tennessee House reopened an education committee to rein in what public schools will be allowed to teach on the topics of racism and inequality. Members of the House education administration committee — which had previously closed for the year — returned Monday morning and advanced legislation intended to prohibit schools from teaching lessons about systemic racism, among other topics touching on race and sex. (Allison, 5/3)

https://khn.org/morning-breakout/arkansas-tennessee-move-to-limit-education-about-racism-sexism/

[Solly Mack]

1. A governing body legislating against the teaching of systemic racism and sexism

is an example of systemic racism and sexism.

Denial of systemic bigotry as an opinion is one thing - regardless of how uninformed, egregious, and just plain wrong said opinion is.

For legislative bodies to create laws to decree systemic bigotry a non-issue or untrue IS part and parcel to systemic bigotry.

It is the same systems that imposed - through laws - a structure of racism, sexism, homophobia, and laws favoring one religion over another (as in colonial times - and it did happen, look it up - and still exists with every single insistence that America is a Christian nation) that is now creating laws imposing denial of that same systemic bigotry as a legal standard.

This point is driven home by this current Arkansas law -

legislation to become law...to prohibit state agencies from teaching employees, contractors or others to believe “divisive concepts.”

Removing from state governmental agencies (in this case) the ability to train against racism and sexism because they can't talk about the systemic nature of both - within the system of government - a government - either federal, state, or local - that imposed those systemic restrictions to begin with.

[SheltieLover]

2. Anything to keep white mini dicks in power

Is this even legal? Likely only in the hellhole south.

[raging moderate]

3. Shamefully, not only the south.

Recent events in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and other places show that white supremacy is everywhere. My husband and I moved to Maryland a few years ago. At a checkout counter in Walmart, the clerk politely asked where I was from, and I replied that I was born in Chicago. The customer behind me barged into our little chat to boom out, "Of course, the Blacks in Chicago are nothing but thugs!" Shocked, I turned to her and said, as loudly as possible, "No, they are not! And the gang activity you may have heard of has more whites involved." At that point, the clerk needed me to finish loading my groceries into my cart and let her get on with her work. So I had to leave. But I will never forget that rude racist customer. She yelled this in the middle of a store with many Black customers and workers all around us. Oh, and here is the source of my particular shame: she did not have any kind of a southern accent. This stuff is all over the north, too.

[Solly Mack]

4. If it passes for law then it's legal until challenged in the courts and struck down.

Slavery was legal. Black Codes were legal. Jim Crow was legal.

Black Codes were all over. California actually has a racist historical past, for example. It does, that's not me attacking the state. Oregon, too. The South doesn't seem to be able to let go of the lies it decided upon about slavery and the Civil War. Too many cling to the exact same thinking from that time. Too many cling to conservative thought now. Too many hold dear to their hate and ignorance.

And a good deal of it has to do with how history was taught in the South - the whole "Lost Cause" bullshit history found in textbook across the South, and in churches, and in homes, and everywhere you went.

I'm from the South, in case anyone thinks I'm attacking the South. Not attacking. Telling the truth about it.

Coming a long way still don't get you cross the finish line.

Racism and sexism is all over the country. Though a lot of states wouldn't stoop to something so low as passing laws to stop the teaching of a factual history.

Some localities might and that needs to be watched for as well.

[Progressive Jones]

5. Hey Southerners! Straighten this shit out! nt