Mississippi Governor Claims ‘Critical Race Theory’ Used to ‘Humiliate and Indoctrinate’ Students

Mississippi has the largest population of Black Americans of any state in the US, with a civil rights history central to the nation’s story.

On 14 March, Republican Governor Tate Reeves signed a bill into law that would ban classroom lessons that he says are used to “humiliate” white students who are “force-fed an unhealthy dose of progressive fundamentalism that runs counter to the principles of America’s founding.”

Senate Bill 2113 – which includes “critical race theory” in its title but does not define or describe it – prohibits schools from teaching or affirming that “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.” {snip}

“I can almost guarantee what will happen next,” Governor Reeves said on Monday. “First, critical race theory proponents will claim that this law prevents the teaching of history. They’ll claim that our kids won’t learn about important historical events like slavery or the Civil Rights Movement. But we know the truth. Contrary to what some critics claim, this bill in no way, in no shape and in no form prohibits the teaching of history.”

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When the bill passed the GOP-controlled state Senate in January, every Black senator withheld their vote and walked out in protest.

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More than a dozen states have passed similar laws aimed at “critical race theory,” invoking a largely obscure academic framework to address the legacy of slavery and racism in institutions. It is not a part of K-12 curriculums.

Though many measures do not directly name the theory, it has been invoked by Republican officials and used as a catch-all term from right-wing media and criticism of concepts like The 1619 Project following a campaign from conservative activists aided by dozens of newly formed local and national groups to raise the issue at school board meetings and in state legislatures.

“In too many schools around the US, [critical race theory] is running amok,” Governor Reeves wrote on social media with a video statement announcing his signature on the bill. “It threatens the integrity of education [and] aims only to humiliate and indoctrinate.”

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