MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis City Council gave us a refreshing display of unity this week – when it took a stand, if only a symbolic one, against our tone-deaf state legislature. The council approved a resolution Tuesday urging Gov. Bill Lee to veto a bill that bans public and charter schools from teaching anything about systemic racism and its lasting impact in America. Eleven council members voted for the resolution – including four of the group’s five white members. They all agree that the Republican-controlled legislature’s attempt to push back against the nation’s reckoning with race is shameful – and I would add racist itself.
Technically, the bill - that passed both the House and Senate in the waning days of the legislative session - bans teaching critical race theory, which is nothing more than an understanding of the lasting effects of racism on people of color. Supporters of this outlandish bill say school districts should not be in the business of assigning blame for past acts of racism. But that’s just a smokescreen. Conservative lawmakers are really pandering to their far right-wing base by opposing an honest and accurate discussion of America’s racial history.
So I say bravo to the city council. But that’s not enough. We also need to hear from the county commission, every school district in Shelby County, and every citizen who believe our school children – should hear the truth. And that’s my point of view.