by Jeroslyn JoVonn

July 21, 2021

Texas Senate Votes to Remove Required Lessons on Civil Rights And Women’s Suffrage

The state of Texas took its fight against critical race theory to the next level by passing legislation that removes civil and women’s rights from being taught in public schools.

On Friday, Texas passed new legislation that aims to end requirements for public schools to teach students about women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement in social studies classes, Bloomberg Law reported. Among those removed from being taught about include Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Susan B. Anthony and Cesar Chavez will also no longer be taught about in public schools across the state of Texas. The Senate-passed bill works to remove most mentions of women and people of color as well as the requirement that students be taught about the history of white supremacy and “the ways in which it is morally wrong.”

The bill was passed by a margin of 18-4, with Texas Democrats speaking out against the new legislation. The bill removes language from a previous bill that condemned white supremacy and the Ku Klux Klan, Fox News reported.

Despite the blatant slap in the face to The 1619 Project and critical race theory being taught in schools, the new Texas bill does prohibit educators from teaching that “one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex.”

Democrats have taken to social media to blast the new legislation.

“Here’s why Governor Abbott added Critical Race Theory to the special session,” Texas Democratic Rep. Jarvis Johnson tweeted. “He doesn’t want our kids to learn that White Supremacy is morally wrong. You read that right. We must trust our teachers. We must defend the truth in our classrooms. SB3 does the opposite #txlege”

The bill is on its way to the Texas House, where the absent Democrats are holding up Republicans from a quorum vote to move the legislation forward.


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