MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The campaign to outlaw teaching schoolchildren about systemic racism in America continues its march from red state to red state.
This week, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said he will urge legislators in his state to ban instruction of so-called Critical Race theory in classrooms. Reeves said the notion that America is fundamentally a racist country is a vicious lie advanced by radical leftists who want to indoctrinate students in public schools.
It is the same message we heard earlier this year in Nashville when the Tennessee legislature hastily passed a law forbidding public schools from discussing systemic racism in America and its harmful effects on people of color. In all, nearly two dozen states have banned or considering a ban on teaching Critical Race Theory, which by all accounts is discussed only in higher education.
But that’s not stopping Republicans from using it to continue fighting culture wars to stir up their political base. Mississippi is about 38% African American, but Reeves was speaking exclusively to white residents this week when he talked about indoctrinating students and forcing them to feel they are inherently racist because of the color of their skin.
As someone who grew up in Mississippi, I know the state has more important issues to address, such as infrastructure needs and improving the economy. But fighting CRT is about playing red meat politics, and Reeves wants his state in the game.