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At the risk of taking bait dangled by local State Senator Robert Karnes and his misguided colleagues, I write to express my opposition to two bills which Karnes coauthors.
SB 45 and SB 182 are fear-mongering proposals that seek to ban the teaching of so-called "divisive acts" and "critical race theory." The latter of which was developed as a framework by legal scholars such as Derrick Bell in the 1980s and is not explicitly included in any of the West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Standards that guide K-12 instruction.
Utterly unfamiliar with the education process, politicians such as Karnes use critical race theory as a social issue trope that divides the electorate rather than searching for meaningful economic solutions that would better serve constituents.
Nonetheless, there are concepts relating to critical race theory that need to be included in the difficult work of teaching students about America's past. For example, one of the many tenets of critical race theory encourages the exploration of counter narratives. This involves including perspectives of historically marginalized groups.
Rather than using schools as a pulpit to celebrate American exceptionality, we should follow the lead of countries such as Germany and South Africa by seeking truth and reconciliation as a means of transcending collective transgressions. Let's not follow Karnes down a road that leads toward Holocaust-denial. The truth sets us free.
Here to learn,
Scott Biola
Elkins