More concerned about what is taught at home To the editor:
Regarding executive order No. 1, critical race theory is not incorporated into the state’s Standards of Learning, nor is it a part of the city’s or county’s educational plans. So thank you for telling us to not do that which we were not doing in the first place.
What I’d like to know is when (or whether) the following should be taught:
In practice, “separate but equal” produced grossly unequal results, to the advantage of the white population and to the detriment of non-whites;
Initially, the Danville Public Library closed rather than allow access to non-whites; months later it was re-opened with no furniture so as to minimize contact between races;
Attorney General Robert Kennedy had to call up 31,000 federal troops to maintain sufficient peace for James Meredith to attend the University of Mississippi;
The Southern Poverty Law Center is tracking 33 active hate groups in Virginia, including one in Danville and one in Martinsville. They are tracking 29 such groups in North Carolina, including one in Pelham.
These are facts, not theories.
These situations were/are not caused by genetically determined decisions; they are/were all caused by rational people based on learned and chosen values and beliefs, which no doubt have been passed down to their children.
My conclusion: I’d be much more concerned about what is taught at home than what is taught in the public schools.
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