Florida bill aims to shield white people from discomfort with nations’ racist past

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) A bill pushed by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that would ban public schools and private businesses from making white people feel uncomfortable when teaching students or training employees about discrimination in past nations received its first approval on Tuesday.

The Senate Education Committee approved the bill which targets critical race theory although it does not explicitly mention it on party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed.

Democrats argued the bill was unnecessary, would result in frivolous lawsuits and amount to censorship in schools. They asked, without success, for concrete examples of teachers or companies telling students or employees that they were racist because of their race.

This bill was not for blacks, this bill was not for any other race. It was meant to make sure white people didn’t feel bad about what happened years ago, said Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is black. At no time did anyone say that white people should be held accountable for what happened, but what I would ask my white counterparts is: are you a catalyst for what happened or are you going to say we have to talk about the story?

DeSantis held a press conference last month in which he slammed critical race theory as bullshit and said he would seek legislation that would allow parents to sue schools and employees to sue employers. they were subject to his teachings.

Critical race theory is a way of thinking about the history of the Americas through the prism of racism. It was developed during the 1970s and 1980s in response to what scholars saw as a lack of racial progress following the civil rights legislation of the 1960s. It focuses on the idea that racism is systemic in the institutions of nations and that they function to maintain white dominance in society.

Conservatives reject it, saying it is a worldview derived from Marxism that divides society by defining people as oppressors and oppressed based on their race. They call it an attempt to rewrite American history and make white people believe they are inherently racist.

The bill reads, among other things, as follows: An individual, because of his race or sex, is not responsible for acts committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex. A person should not be made to feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress because of their race.

The bill is called Individual Liberty. Republican Senator Manny Diaz, her sponsor, said it was not about ignoring the dark parts of American history, but rather about ensuring people were not blamed for the sins of the past.

No individual is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously, solely because of their race or gender, Diaz said. No race is inherently superior to another race.

Jones said DeSantis was toying with his conservative base by pushing for legislation, but wouldn’t go so far as to say DeSantis himself is a racist.

The governor will continue to roam the country with his racist rhetoric on critical race theory … It’s a problem that doesn’t exist, Jones said. I think the governor’s policies that he continues to push are racist.

Asked to comment, the Governors spokeswoman reiterated comments made by DeSantis during a press conference last month in which he referenced the late civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.

DeSantis said at the time, you think about what MLK stood for, he said he didn’t want people to be judged on the color of their skin but on the content of their character. You listen to some of these people these days, they don’t talk about that. “

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This version corrects the attribution of the 10th paragraph quote to Senator Manny Diaz.

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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