Posted on April 14, 2021

GOP Army Vet Congressman Seeks Answers About ‘Critical Race Theory’ at West Point

Jerry Dunleavy, Washington Examiner, April 10, 2021

A Republican congressman and Army veteran is seeking answers from the U.S. Military Academy about “elements of critical race theory” being made part of instruction for cadets at West Point, including seminars on “systemic racism” and presentation slides discussing “White Power” and “Racist Dog Whistles.”

Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, a former Green Beret and Afghanistan War veteran, sent a letter to West Point’s superintendent, Lt. Gen. Darryl Williams, telling him, “Information has recently come to my attention from unsettled soldiers, cadets, and families that raises serious concerns about the U.S. Army’s introduction of elements of critical race theory into cadet instruction. While we should always eradicate extremism of all forms from our ranks and never tolerate racism, I am alarmed that this doctrine that focuses our future leaders on race in ways that will be detrimental to unit cohesion, destructive to morale, and strain the readiness of our armed forces.”

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Screenshots obtained by the Washington Examiner seem to back up the claim that these sorts of theories had been introduced at West Point. Events deemed to be “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” seminars included “Viewing: The Defamation Experience” and “Workshop: Understanding Systemic Racism” — and the message indicated that “you MUST attend at least one of these seminars.” A presentation by the Army Cyber Institute at West Point included slides discussing “White Power at West Point” and “Racist Dog Whistles at West Point.” And a slide depicting a lecture by Emory University professor Dr. Carol Anderson titled “Understanding Whiteness and White Rage” in February seemed to have been put on by Ike Hall (Eisenhower Hall Theatre) at West Point.

“Dr. Anderson is a controversial, partisan academic, who has made no secret where she stands politically,” Waltz wrote in his letter to West Point, noting that in her bookWhite Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, highlighted in the presentation, she contended, “The trigger for white rage, inevitably, is black advancement. It is not the mere presence of black people that is the problem; rather, it is blackness with ambition, drive, purpose, aspirations, and with demands for full and equal citizenship.” The congressman also pointed out that a 2019 op-ed for Time by Anderson claimed that Republicans “yearn for a white republic.” He also included her tweet from August 2020 in which she argued that former President Donald Trump was “a white nationalist,” and so “the GOP’s platform is, therefore, white nationalism.”

“These are only a few examples of Dr. Anderson’s incredibly divisive language. I find it incredulous the U.S. Military Academy is requiring cadets to take courses with this highly politicized demagoguery,” Waltz wrote, adding that “these teachings run counter to the history and ethos of our apolitical military.”

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