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House committee advances anti critical race theory bill along racial lines

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House committee advances anti critical race theory bill along racial lines

A bill titled “Critical race theory; prohibit” passed the House Universities and Colleges Committee Monday along racial lines with all African American representatives opposing the measure and all white House members supporting it.

Senate Bill 2113 passed 14-9 with no changes from how it passed the Senate earlier this . All those who voted in favor of the bill were Republican. If it passes the House in the coming days with no changes, it will go straight to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature.

“Why do we bring this egregious bill up when we all get along?” asked Rep. Greg Holloway, D-Hazlehurst. “We are all to work together.”

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Instead of debating an issue that no one can identify as a problem in Mississippi, Holloway said, legislators could be working to solve issues actually impacting the .

Both Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn have been vocal opponents of critical race theory, though, they have not been able to identify any instances of the college-level academic framework being taught in kindergarten through 12th grade schools.

All African American members of the Senate walked out earlier this session on the day the measure passed the upper chamber.

Based on the discussion in the House Universities and Colleges Committee Monday, debate also will be contentious when the issue is brought up in the coming days on the House floor.

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Critical race theory has been depicted by conservative media outlets and many Republican politicians as an effort in the public schools and universities to teach discrimination and to divide by race. Supporters of critical race theory, which is generally taught as a college level class, say it is designed to address issues of institutional racism that still exists in society.

The text of the bill, as Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, who presented the bill to the committee pointed out, simply said no , community college or public school “shall direct or compel students to affirm that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or that individuals should be adversely treated based on such characteristics.”

But tying the bill to critical race theory is seen by many as an attempt to appease those who oppose discussions of past and current racial shortcomings of the state and nation. The governor has proposed providing funds to schools willing to teach “patriotic” history classes. The has balked at that recommendation.

Rep. Cheikh Taylor, D-Starkville, said “Critical race theory is…nothing to do with finger pointing or shaming. It has everything to do with searching out institutional racism” and trying to address it.

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Rep. Lataisha , D-Como, questioned whether teachers might be afraid to broach the issue of racism because of the bill. Jackson said she fears, based on the bill, someone might try to penalize African American teachers who tried to address such subjects in their classroom.

While the title of the bill says the teaching of critical race theory is prohibited, Hood conceded that nowhere in the bill is critical race theory defined.

Taylor asked if he could offer an amendment to take out any reference to critical race theory in the legislation. Rep. Donnie Scoggin, Ellisville, who presided over the contentious hearing as vice chair of the committee, told Taylor he would “recommend” that no amendments be offered.

Scoggin said he made the recommendation to prevent additional “arguments” about the bill in the committee hearing.

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“They can argue on the floor,” he said.

Taylor said the amendment would be offered on the floor.

Hood could not identify any critical race theory classes being taught in the public schools. When asked by legislators, he said more than once, “I will get back to you.”

Tuesday was the deadline to pass the bill out of committee. Gunn did not assign the bill to the Universities and Colleges Committee until late last . Most other bills were assigned by the speaker much earlier in the .

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Most familiar with the legislative process assumed Gunn would assign the bill to the Education Committee.


Have questions about critical race theory? Join the conversation this Thursday:

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Nettleton hires Houston DC Kyle Bond as next head football coach

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www.wcbi.com – Jon Sokoloff – 2024-03-28 20:51:30

SUMMARY: Nettleton High School has hired Kyle Bond as its new head football coach. With over a decade of coaching experience, Bond started at Kossuth High School in 2012 and has since worked at and Booneville, where he led the team to an undefeated regular season and division championship in 2018. Bond spent the last four seasons as the defensive coordinator at Houston. He takes over from John Ketih, who left to become an assistant principal at New Albany Middle School. Bond's coaching experience and at Houston make him a promising addition to the Nettleton football program.

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Mississippi News

Aberdeen mayoral election: Incumbent Charles Scott

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www.wcbi.com – Allie Martin – 2024-03-28 18:45:46

SUMMARY: Voters in Aberdeen, Mississippi, will head to the polls for municipal elections, with Charles Scott running for reelection against challenger Dwight Stevens. In an interview, Mayor Scott discussed his goals for a second term, highlighting his focus on improvements, youth leadership, and community involvement. He emphasized his experience in the military as preparation for the mayoral role and mentioned his pride in securing grant money for the Aberdeen Port. Scott also outlined plans for Aberdeen Vision 2030, a roadmap for future . The election will take place on Tuesday, with no Republican challenger, meaning the winner will become the next mayor.

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Mississippi News

Mostly clear through Easter weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Ashleigh Bryant – 2024-03-28 18:26:14

SUMMARY: Clear conditions are expected to continue through the end of the in Columbus, Mississippi. Temperatures will drop into the 30s on Thursday night with possible patchy frost. Friday will bring more sunshine with high temperatures in the low to middle 70s. The will see temperatures pushing towards 80 degrees with no rain expected. Next week, warm and humid will flow into the Deep South, with a of scattered showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. It is still uncertain if these storms will be severe, but it is being monitored closely.

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