Erdman criticizes critical race theory in his latest column

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SIDNEY, NE A Nebraska state senator recently made his position clear on teaching critical race theory in state schools.

In his last column, Senator Steve Erdman of Bayard, expressed his opposition to the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT), saying he thinks it is a “dangerous program for the ‘education of our children’.

In writing, Erdman said racism is bad and has played a significant role in American history. He goes on to say that the CRT is “completely derailed” in trying to correct this in the future.

According to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, CRT’s definition is “a loosely organized intellectual movement and legal framework of analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural and biologically grounded characteristic of physically subgroups of human beings. distinct, but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists argue that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist in that they function to create and maintain social, economic and political inequalities between whites and non-whites, particularly those who are not whites. African Americans.

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts also said he was opposed to CRT teaching in Nebraska. Candidate for state governor Jim Pillen said the same to Sidney on June 28.

According to Education Week, as of June 29, 26 states have introduced or passed legislation to limit the teaching of critical race theory and similar concepts in their schools. Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and have not presented any such legislation.

You can read Erdman’s full column below:

Last week, the National Education Association, commonly known as the teachers’ union, passed a measure to combat attacks on critical race theory. The National Education Association is a left-wing extremist organization that has long supported programs that undermine the foundations of our traditional Western education system.

Critical Race Theory is important to all Nebraskans as it is part of the new education standards being offered by the Nebraska Department of Education. If these new standards were adopted, Critical Race Theory would become part of the standardized curriculum taught in all of our public schools. There are a lot of issues with Critical Race Theory, so today I would like to share why I think this is a dangerous program for our children’s education.

By definition, Critical Race Theory (CRT) denies that race is a natural, biological, or physical attribute of human beings and instead teaches that race is a socially constructed or invented category used to exploit people of color. Therefore, the CRT argues that every American social institution is inherently racist and that all white people are automatically born in a privileged position.

There is no doubt that racism is bad and has played a significant role in American history, but how we correct this problem in the future is where CRT completely derails. The main problem with CRT is that it seeks to completely overturn our traditional American culture. For example, Derrick A. Bell, who is considered the father of CRT, wrote these words about CRT in a 1995 article titled Whose Afraid of Critical Race Theory? : In my opinion, critical race theory recognizes that the revolution of a culture begins. with the sweeping assessment of it, and the Cornell Law Schools’ own entry for Critical Legal Studies (CLS), from which the CRT is derived, states that many in the CLS movement want to overthrow the hierarchical structures of modern society.

Because many of those who aggressively promote the CRT want to completely overthrow American society, their program destroys our American heritage and has no other goal than the collapse of every American institution. On the contrary, I love our American heritage and want to preserve it for future generations. In addition, I think our students should learn the reasons why our American values ​​have stood the test of time.

This notion of CRT of breaking down societal norms also applies at the individual level. Therefore, anyone who engages in the CRT program will find themselves locked in a dead end maze. For example, there is simply no way for a white person to end their white privilege. Instead, the CRT seeks to keep all whites locked in a constant state of guilt because of their whiteness, and this is why so many critics of the CRT think it is an intolerant, divisive agenda. and racist unfit for teaching in our K-12 schools.

Instead of teaching CRT, a better program would be the one promoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., especially when he said in his famous I Have a Dream speech on August 28, 1963 in Washington DC that people should be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. I believe our K-12 education program should teach respect for our American heritage as well as respect for our American values, respect for other cultures, and respect for every human being, regardless of their skin color.

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