November 18, 2020
Dear editor;
Some Illinois lawmakers are proposing to amend the Illinois State Board of Education teacher standards by infusing Critical Race Theory and The 1619 Project into teacher training/education and Illinois public school classrooms.
Critical Race Theory implies that all people who were born with white skin are racist. And all whites have power because of their skin color and have used that power to hold back people of color. This is patently false. Tax dollars should not be used to foster lies, division, and hatred.
The 1619 Project is an insidious attempt to rewrite history with an anti-American sentiment. The 1619 Project falsely claims that the Revolutionary War was fought to maintain slavery. Furthermore, it falsely claims that America was founded in 1619 when the first slaves were brought to our shores. The truth is that colonists broke free of England’s restrictive monarchy to form an independent republic that recognized our God-given civil liberties.
Proficiency levels in reading, writing, and arithmetic are woefully inadequate. Teachers standards must focus on mastering these priorities, not on political ideology.
Illinois Family Institute strongly opposes this change as an attempt to further indoctrinate young, impressionable, children with radical, partisan, philosophy.
Kathy Valente, director of operations, Illinois Family Institute, Tinley Park
Thank you for bringing this to our attention! No form of hatred, bias, or misinformation need be introduced or propagated in our schools.