Missouri Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R) reiterated her vehement opposition to critical race theory during a Saturday interview with Fox News, saying schools need to focus on raising their test scores and “teaching the ABC’s, not the CRT.”
Hartzler, a former teacher who introduced the No CRT For Our Military Kids Act, told Fox News’ Mike Emanuel that “the thought that our Department of Defense could be teaching our children that their country is inherently racist and certainly the children of men and women in uniform is just abhorrent.”
“I want to make sure they are taught this is the greatest country in the world. And they should be proud of our country and shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are based on their skin color,” she added.
According to the Associated Press, critical race theory “is a way of thinking about America’s history through the lens of racism” and “centers on the idea that racism is systemic in the nation’s institutions and that they function to maintain the dominance of white people in society.” The AP also noted that there is little evidence CRT as a whole is currently being taught in public schools, though certain ideas such as bias have made their way into some schools’ curriculum.
Asked by Emanuel why CRT alarms her so much, Hartzler replied, “no child should be taught that their destiny is determined by their skin color or that America is an inherently racist nation.”
“That is not reality. It is a changing of history, a rewriting of history, and it’s very toxic,” she said. “And certainly in the military, we need to be working toward unity and cohesion and not dividing our troops into different groups based on their skin color. It doesn’t make sense, and in America, we need to continue to embrace our traditional motto of E Pluribus Unum; out of many, one.”
She continued: “That is the strength of our nation is that we come from many different backgrounds, but we are all Americans and that should be the goal. That should be what we teach our kids. And that their future is limitless. The American dream is alive and well. And not be indoctrinated with something that’s going to be damaging to them and ultimately damaging to the future of our country.”
Hartzler appeared confident in the outlook of her bill, saying she thinks “we’ll get a lot of support,” and later adding, “Surely, Democrats and Republicans can embrace that we should be teaching our children that America is great and not divide them by skin color.”
The congresswoman said critical race theory is the “number one issue” she has heard about from parents amid her newly-launched senate campaign.
“Parents don’t want their children taught that their future and destiny and worth is determined by their skin color, and that children should look suspiciously on one another, she said. “They support teaching America’s greatness.”
“And as I’ve said before, I think our schools should be teaching the ABC’s, not the CRT,” she said, adding that “it’s very concerning” looking at America’s test scores in comparison to some other countries. “We have to get serious and get back to teaching academics. So that not only that our kids can have the best education possible, but so that we can compete as a nation in the future.”
*story by MEDIAite
