Oh, my. The guys in Frankfort have already initialized a concept without really knowing what it means, so we are being bombarded by bloviation about CRT, Critical Race Theory, and how its so-called Marxist ideas will poison the minds of young Kentuckians.
Last week, the Interim Joint Committee on Education packed the house to discuss the evils of CRT and how it must be obliterated from the face of the earth. And if that is not possible, it must at least be expunged from Kentucky classrooms.
According to an account of the proceedings from Louisville’s Courier-Journal, Bill Request 69 takes dead-eye aim at K-12 teachers who have “formal or informal” discussions regarding race, sex, and religion, subjecting them to potential discipline for teaching history.
Furthermore, if the bill supported by Rep. Matt Lockhart of Nicholasville is passed, Kentucky public colleges will not be sparking conversations on the concepts listed in the bill either.
Rep. Lisa Willner, a Democrat from Louisville, remarked that she heard a lot about CRT in Lockhart’s testimony, but found no specific mention of it in Lockett’s bill.
“The goal seems to be to want to ban discomfort,” said Willner, a former Jefferson County Public Schools board vice-chair. “But you know,” she went on, “that’s not really something we can legislate.”
After the meeting, a joint statement released by House Democrats on the education committee said, “Forcing our schools to sanitize or erase large portions of our country’s history will hurt our students, threaten Kentucky’s economic success, undermine local control, and put the accreditation of Kentucky colleges and universities at serious risk.”
Regardless of what happens in Frankfort, the statue of Robert E. Lee on the courthouse lawn continues to stand in silent tribute to a Civil War “hero” who fought to preserve slavery. Walking past the monument with her granddaughter, one local citizen recently remarked, “Today, as I walked by that awful Confederate statue, I realized that if Lee had had his way, my beautiful brown granddaughter’s only value would be the price she fetched at auction.”
When her granddaughter asked what the statue was for, the grandmother admitted, “I had no answer. We just kept walking. I was ashamed…It’s a memorial to honor a man that would have sold my sweet baby girl like a piece of livestock. Just shameful.”
In the midst of the ongoing political discussion about CRT – a term that is tossed about casually as a beachball as if everyone really knew what it meant — Hopkinsville is hosting a community forum to talk about systemic racism on July 31 from 9 a.m. to noon, at Christian County Middle School, 215 Glass Ave.
As reported in the Hoptown Chronicle, organizers include the Christian County Judge-Executive Steve Tribble, Hopkinsville Mayor Wendell Lynch, and the mayors of four county towns –Pembroke, Oak Grove, LaFayette, and Crofton. The event, originally scheduled for last year, was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A news release about the Unity Summit said, “In response to alarming events that have occurred throughout the nation, the summit is designed to be an initial conversation surrounding the concept of systemic racism including police and community relations throughout our country.”
Furthermore, the released expressed “hope to build on existing area connections that have prevented such tragedies while recognizing we are not immune to these developments.”
Besides a panel discussion, the summit will feature breakout sessions for participants. Groups will be asked to focus on questions that ask them to develop action items for their communities.
Sounds as if Christian County is taking the initiative and setting an example for all communities. Like a 12-step program, they are admitting there is a problem by doing Step #1 while acknowledging other steps must be taken if anything is to change.
“While event organizers look forward to positive dialogue,” the news release stated, “it is understood a single gathering cannot address every issue.”
“Therefore, the group remains committed to continued opportunities to engage in action items developed during this initial meeting and future conversations.”
More information about the event is available at hoptown.org/unity, or by phone at 270-887-4000. Registration runs through July 21.
