Posted on July 12, 2021

Republicans Erupt Over Professor Pushing Critical Race Theory at Air Force Academy

Valerie Richardson, Washington Times, July 8, 2021

Stunned Republicans demanded answers Wednesday after a professor declared that she teaches critical race theory at the U.S. Air Force Academy, directly contradicting recent congressional testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn, whose district includes the Colorado Springs-based academy, said he was “deeply concerned” about associate professor Lynne Chandler Garcia’s assertion in a Tuesday op-ed that “I teach critical race theories to our nation’s future military leaders.”

Mr. Lamborn pointed out that “two weeks ago, Secretary Austin testified before the House Armed Services Committee that critical race theory is not something being taught, pushed, or embraced in our military.”

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Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, said Wednesday that Mr. Austin “has testified at least twice that our military does not teach, instruct, or condone critical race theory. So Miss Garcia should start looking for a different place of employment, in my opinion.”

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“We should not be teaching and indoctrinating our cadets to believe that our military is a fundamentally racist institution,” said Mr. Cotton on Fox News. {snip}

In her Washington Post op-ed, Ms. Garcia, who teaches political science, said that “it is vital that cadets understand the history of the racism that has shaped both foreign and domestic policy.”

Critical race theory “helps students identify the structural racism and inequality that has been endemic in American society. And it provides methods for deconstructing oppressive beliefs, policies and practices to find solutions that will lead to justice,” she said.

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