Georgia's Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills
Georgia's Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills
My First Guest Op-Ed of 2022: Sylvia Johnson
Welcome to my newsletter by me, King Williams. A documentary filmmaker, journalist, podcast host, and author based in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a newsletter covering the hidden connections of Atlanta to everything else.
Today I’m giving space to Sylvia Johnson, an Atlanta-based journalist and podcast host. Sylvia is my first guest Op-Ed’s of 2022, today’s topic is on the recent attempts by the Georgia legislature to ban critical race theory via HB888.
I would suggest also pairing this with my previous articles:
The Update 9/5/2020 - Trump is ending critical race theory + Jessica Krug blackface controversy
5/26/2020 - The first Memorial Day, Confederate women, and the erasure of Black History
Anti-CRT Bills
By Sylvia M. Johnson
The 2022 Georgia General Assembly has only been in session for a few weeks. In that time, legislators have brought forth a host of bills that could potentially change the landscape of public education in Georgia. If passed, these bills could transform how schools are funded and what is taught in schools. Bills such as HB 888 and HB 1084. These bills seek to ban all of the state’s public K-12 and post-secondary schools from discussing or teaching the role of racism in addition to inequality throughout American history.
HB 888 is one of the multiple bills proposed by several states that copy language crafted by the Heritage Foundation into their legislation. The conservative think tank based in Washington D.C. has coordinated efforts and subsequent bills, calling for a ban of divisive concepts, including critical race theory (CRT) from being taught in schools. Strategies used by the Heritage Foundation are funded by multi-million dollar donations from the Koch Brothers and Joseph Coors of the Coors Brewing Company, among other well-known conservatives.
The legislation also attempts to ban books, restrict funding for schools that violate these policies, and block the use of supplementary materials like The 1619 Project. New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones developed The 1619 Project, which aimed to re-examen the legacy of slavery in the United States through storytelling. The project began as a special issue of the New York Times magazine, which was released in August of 2019. It has grown to include a podcast, events, and a packaged curriculum developed in collaboration with the Pultizer Center. Some historians, scholars, and Republican politicians, including former president Donald Trump quickly objected to the project. CRT has been a hotly contested issue for years, but many parents still do not know its history, definition, or how the subject is taught in schools.
What is critical race theory and is it taught in Georgia schools??
Critical race theory is a concept that legal scholars, professors, and civil rights activists examine to show the intersection of race and law in the United States. CRT analyzes how race is used in an implicit/explicit way through U.S. social institutions from criminal justice, education, healthcare systems, as well as labor and housing markets. Through the lens of CRT, these social institutions are examining the systematically embedded racism in laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that have led to differential outcomes by race.
How long has CRT been taught in classrooms?
Critical race theory as a social and intellectual movement has been around since the 1970s and 1980s. However, law students and other college scholars were the only ones discussing and learning such topics. Learning about CRT is important to those scholars because they want to avoid applying those harmful laws, rules, or regulations when they become future lawyers, judges, legislators, etc.
Is this taught in my kids’ school?
Critical race theory is not taught in any of Georgia’s K-12 public schools.
Are they trying to stop discussion about race altogether?
Based on the bill’s language, yes. The Heritage Foundation’s template used by the Georgia Assembly makes it very clear. HB 888 aims to prohibit the inclusion of certain concepts in courses offered in public elementary and secondary schools of this state. The bill also includes language that says “The Georgia General Assembly finds that slavery, racial discrimination under the law, and racism, in general, are so inconsistent with the founding principles of the United States…”
The Heritage Foundation’s template being given to lawmakers of anti-CRT bills also included a partial quote from Robert Woodson, a politically conservative former Civil Rights activist. Woodson launched The 1776 Unites campaign to counter what he called the ‘lethal narratives’ in The 1619 Project. His quote is added to part of the bill stating that Americans should be allowed ‘an aspirational and inspirational take on America's history, debunking the misguided argument that the present-day problems of black Americans are caused by the injustices of past failures, such as slavery.’
So, what is being taught in Georgia schools in regards to race?
The Georgia Department of Education’s state-adopted standards or Georgia Standards of Excellence is used to teach and evaluate student achievement. These standards are what all lesson plans, activities, and assessments should be based on in every K-12 public school in Georgia. Throughout the entire K-12 social studies curriculum in Georgia, less than ten of the Georgia Standards of Excellence explicitly include the word race.
For example, sports in the United States standard (SSSUSS5) asks students to analyze race, ethnicity, and class in sports. One standard in the Socialization and Social Control (SSSocSC1e) course asks students to analyze gender, race/ethnicity, and socio-economic status as contributing factors to individual socialization. These standards are reserved for high school students. However, elementary and middle school students learn about key figures along with their impact on American history. A fourth-grade U.S. History standard (SS4H4a.) asks students to discuss contributions plus the challenges faced by Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tubman.
What will happen if HB 888 passes in Georgia?
HB 888 could lead to a complete overhaul of the social studies curriculum and assessments in Georgia. If language and/or whole sections of history will not be allowed or mentioned in Georgia’s educational materials—some textbooks, library books, high school graduation, and teacher certification requirements will need to be rewritten or replaced to avoid violations of the new requirements in HB 888.
If passed, schools will be mandated to include a homepage with in-depth descriptions of all primary and supplementary materials used in all courses taught. Library books will also continue to be reviewed and removed. Similar to the new Virginia anti-CRT bill, HB 888 also includes provisions for reporting anyone who violates policies contained in the bill. All laws and parts of laws that don’t align with HB 888 will also be repealed. It will be up to parents to fill in the gaps left by schools in the wake of HB 888 and its censorship of factual information.
Forsyth County Schools recently pulled these 8 books from their shelves. Citing the content of the books are “pervasively vulgar” and other concerns from parents.
How does or will this affect curriculums?
If HB88 is passed, schools alongside school systems curriculum and instruction will be strictly reviewed. The Georgia Standards of Excellence will likely be rewritten to align with the new law. Language and activities that explicitly discuss race, inequality, as well as racism, under the law will be removed from the curriculum. In addition, students won’t be allowed to receive class credit for public policy-related internships. Those amended standards will apply to high school students as a condition to graduate. Potential changes to elementary and middle school curricula will most likely come soon.
The harm done to students, schools, and communities by HB 888 plus similar bills could be cross-curricular. Meaning that not only social studies will be affected. New approaches to teaching other subjects like reading, English, science, and math could be on the table.
Some school districts in Georgia and other states have already begun banning books. For instance, the book Ruby Bridges Goes to School is banned in multiple states. If the same book is removed from Georgia school libraries, it would make teaching the first grade Our American Heritage standards regarding Ruby Bridges’ life difficult. Lack of basic knowledge of American history and policy could also lead to challenges as students become less informed citizens and voters.
Will this hurt my kids' overall learning experience??
Noncompliant schools could lose up to 20% of their funding from the Georgia State Board of Education. Any loss of funding to already stressed school budgets will be detrimental. Georgia ranks 33rd in school funding, spending just $10,893 per pupil. Any funding lost will affect a school’s ability to provide much-needed supplies, technology, well-paid educators, and staff.
Are there other topics being discussed for removal?
A few bills that, if passed in conjunction with HB 888, would cripple Georgia public schools for generations:
SB226 would allow parents to review and remove library books they find obscene.
SB 266 would ban transgender children from participating in girls’ sports teams.
SB323 would repeal the state income tax. A significant public school and social service funding source.
SB 327 would allow parents to file an up to $100,000 tax exemption if they believe their school system has deviated from the approved Georgia Standards of Excellence.
Are similar bills being considered in other states?
More than 36 states have proposed or passed anti-critical race theory legislation since 2021. These bills range from copying various parts of the language of the Heritage Foundation’s template or being exact replicas, including Georgia’s HB 888 which copies most of the Heritage Foundation template to more detailed bills like Florida’s SB 148. Part of that bill calls for bans on schools or business training programs from making anyone feel “discomfort” or “guilt” about their race. Tennessee’s two bills, SB 0623 and HB 0580 bans instruction on 14 different topics including racism, sexism, or bias they have labeled as divisive.
Many Texas teachers complained that HB 3979 created complications and confusion when it required them to use a rubric to determine if the authors of books they use ‘provides balanced information by providing multiple perspectives.’ For example, books and materials used during Holocaust Remembrance week activities must include at least one opposing perspective on the Holocaust. Multiple state and local school boards have been met with objections from parents and librarians as they add more books to the banned list. Many pointed out that the authors are people of color, women, and LGBTQ authors.
Flyer for the Stop W.O.K.E. Act. The Stop W.O.K.E. Act is Florida’s latest attempt to so-called “woke” activism and CRT in schools and corporations.
Most of the bills do not explicitly use the words critical race theory. Alabama is one of a few states that actually uses the words and teaching of CRT as a fireable offense in its bill, HB 11. However, legislators across the country use CRT as the basis for their arguments for and against the proposed bills. Overall, the pattern emerging from each proposed bill effort is that language and historical concepts that are deemed divisive and/or shouldn’t be taught in public schools are all that push against decades of false narratives of sex, race, and historical inaccuracies.
I hope you enjoyed this and if you want to submit your own Op-Ed, please message me. If you want to ensure that your local rep or state rep wants to keep education accurate please contact them directly. If in Georgia, you visit here for state house, here for state senate, or if you live outside of Georgia, you can visit Openstates.org.