Rep. Bob Good: Teaching CRT Violates Students’ Civil Rights

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) in an interview with NTD in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30, 2021. (NTD/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Teaching critical race theory (CRT) in federally funded institutions would violate a student’s civil rights and should be punishable by law, Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) told NTD.

On Sept. 30, Good introduced a bill named ‘‘Defending Students’ Civil Rights Act of 2021,’’ (pdf) outlawing teaching CRT in public educational institutions.

“One of the most dangerous things right now is our country becoming divided on race in a manufactured way,” Good told NTD, saying the left has been trying to divide the nation on race. “And one of their tools is critical race theory, … saying that our race defines us, that we’re responsible for the sins of our past, that our race determines whether or not we’re a victim or whether or not we’re an oppressor, simply based on our race, that our race determines our future.”

CRT is a quasi-Marxist ideology, redefining America’s history as a struggle between “oppressors” (white people) and the “oppressed” (everybody else), as was done with Marxism’s reduction of human history to a struggle between the “bourgeoisie” and the “proletariat.”

The bill states that it would be a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to “use critical race theory or critical race pedagogy in any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a benchmark civil rights legislation. It prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

“It is completely irresponsible for our government to violate the civil rights of our nation’s youth, and that is why I have introduced the [bill],” Good said in a statement. “The hyper-politicization of our public education system has created a trojan horse for Marxists to hide within while making a direct attack against our federalist system and foundational values.”

Good pointed out that parents and others also have an on-the-ground effort to push back against CRT.

A woman holding a sign at a rally outside the Loudoun County Public Schools administration building in Ashburn, Va., on Sept. 28, 2021. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

“Also on the ground, we want to support parents and come alongside them,” Good told NTD. “I have attended eight or nine school board meetings in my district in the last few weeks, where I’m trying to encourage those parents to be engaged, to be involved, to hold their local school board accountable.”

Good’s bill was co-sponsored by 17 House Republicans.

“Congressman Good’s bill is the next key line of attack that both Washington and the states must take in the fight against state-sanctioned racism,” said Russ Vought, former White House Office of Management and Budget director and president of Citizens for Renewing America. “It’s high time any school that behaves in this manner be held accountable.”

GOP lawmakers across the nation have introduced bills to fight against CRT. Some governors have signed laws or issued executive orders prohibiting teaching CRT in public schools or government institutions, such as in Tennessee, Idaho, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Iowa, Florida, and South Dakota.

However, thousands of people signed a petition pledging to continue teaching CRT even if their states had outlawed it. The number has recently risen to nearly 7,500.

Some educators are reported to be trying to teach others how to “back-door” CRT into the classrooms.

In April, the Biden administration proposed a rule to prioritize funding education programs that incorporate The New York Times’ 1619 Project and critical race theory ideas.

Steve Lance contributed to this report.