January 13, 2022
WASHINGTON — Today, Heritage Action, a conservative organization with two million grassroots activists nationwide and 20,000 members in Georgia, released a statement from Executive Director Jessica Anderson following the introduction of legislation that would reject Critical Race Theory (CRT) in public K-12 schools across the state of Georgia:
“The equality of every person, opportunity for all, and the idea that people should be judged on the content of their character rather than the color of their skin are the hallmarks of our shared American values. Critical race theory rejects these values, instead tying one’s inherent value to their skin color and seeking to dismantle our American institutions of government charged with securing our God-given rights.
There is no place for this radical and dangerous agenda in the classroom, and the effort to reject CRT in public education is an important step in stopping state-sanctioned racial discrimination, empowering parents, and protecting our most vulnerable citizens. Heritage Action strongly supports Representative Brad Thomas in his effort to stop the CRT agenda from indoctrinating K-12 students and encourage all members of the Georgia legislature to join him in protecting our children from this divisive ideology.”
Introduced by Georgia Representative Brad Thomas, HB 888 protects students and teachers from racial discrimination and compelled belief in racial essentialism doctrines or practices, including trainings and seminars that promote them.
This bill also provides transparency by giving all members of the public access to a list of school curriculum materials used in the classroom including books, articles, recordings, and webpages – an important step to providing families and the public with greater insight and influence over what is taught in their schools.
Georgia Representative Brad Thomas:
“As school districts across Georgia move forward with instituting social justice programs and placing employment ads for diversity, equity, and inclusion specialists, parents throughout this state are waking up to the reality that Critical Race Theory is becoming a part of our academic discipline.
I am very pleased to have partnered with Heritage Action’s team of policy specialists to develop this piece of legislation that will stop this divisive ideology from being embedded in our public school system, and I look forward to working on the passage of this bill this legislative session.”
Background:
In August 2021, Heritage Action announced the launch of SaveOurSchools.com — a one-stop resource for parents and concerned Americans looking to join the fight to keep CRT out of the classroom. Resources available at SaveOurSchools.com include ways to identify and report real-life examples of CRT, information on federal legislation to support, resources for local parent groups, and instructions for submitting FOIA requests to state and local agencies.
Throughout the past year, Heritage Action has led the fight in organizing activists against CRT in their local communities by hosting rallies and panel discussions, exposing the NEA’s pro-CRT agenda, supporting anti-CRT legislation, and preparing tools like the Reject CRT E-Book.
In December 2021, Heritage Action joined a letter outlining policies for states to end CRT in schools. Executive Director Jessica Anderson said, “The principles laid out in this letter represent a roadmap for concerned parents and grassroots activists to use to urge their legislators to root out critical race theory.”
A June 2021 Heritage Action/OnMessage poll of likely Georgia voters shows Georgians oppose the application of CRT in their schools. 81% agree children should be taught about the American Dream available to them and not that their destiny and inherent value is dependent on skin color – a position that crosses racial, gender, geographical, and party lines with overwhelming majorities.