A Colorado black father delivered a stirring speech denouncing critical race theory during a school board meeting last week, which garnered a standing ovation from other parents. After the rousing monologue, the board members voted to ban critical race theory in the school district.
Several concerned parents gave their testimony about implementing critical race theory in classrooms, but Derrick Wilburn stole the show. Wilburn, who is a descendant of slaves, explained how installing critical theory into classrooms does not combat racism, but fans “the flames of what little embers are left.”
“I am a direct descendant of the North American slave trade,” Wilburn explained. “Both my parents are black. All four of my grandparents are black, all eight of my great grandparents, and all 16 of my great greats. On my mother’s side, my ancestors were enslaved in Alabama. On my father’s side, we were enslaved in Texas.”
“I’m not oppressed and I’m not a victim,” Wilburn, who is the founder and executive director of the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives, added.
He added that his three children “are not oppressed, either, though they are victims.”
“I taught my children they are victims of three things: Their own ignorance, their own laziness, and their own poor decision making. That is all,” Wilburn stated.
“We are not victims of America,” Wilbur said in the viral video. “We are not victims of some unseen 190-year-old force that kind of floats around in the ether.”
“Putting critical theory into our classrooms is taking our nation in the wrong direction,” Wilburn declared. “Racism in America would by and large be dead today if it were not for certain people and institutions keeping it on life support. Sadly, very sadly, one of those institutions is the American education system.”
“Putting critical race theory in classrooms is not combating racism. It’s fanning the flames of what little embers are left,” Wilburn concluded. “I encourage you to support this resolution. Let racism die the death it deserves.”
Shortly after Wilburn’s galvanizing speech, the Colorado Springs School District 49 school board voted to ban critical race theory in classrooms.
This Colorado Springs father denounces critical race theory and says that “racism in America would be dead today if… https://t.co/N61gbKYjSR — Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️) 1629415984.0
Board president John Graham, secretary Rick Van Wieren, and director Ivy Liu all voted to ban critical race theory.
The trio of school administrators gave a summary of the ban:
The board members who voted to prohibit critical race theory told Fox News, “We are grateful for the outpouring of support from our community and others over this issue, but it is only one of many issues school districts face at this point, and having settled it, we would like to move on to the greater task at hand of catching up our students. After two years in a row of disruptive Covid impacts, we want to focus on getting our kids back on track socially, emotionally, mentally, and academically.”
*story by The Blaze
