Fighting the Racist War on Truth at School

In many states across the nation there are right-wing sponsored efforts to stop public school teachers from discussing the racist history of our country with their students, an effort that has caught fire in many districts with some parents protesting the teaching of "critical race theory" to their kids.That is happening in South Carolina, where at least six bills are under consideration, all aiming to ban teaching an accurate account of the role that racism has played in the history of the United States. The obvious objective is to deny the racist reality of present-day U.S. society by distorting the history that students learn in the state’s public schools and banning curriculum that seeks to explain how racism has shaped U.S. society since its inception. The South Carolina bills are part of a wider campaign currently being waged by far-right politicians across the country — a sweeping racist attack against public education, academic freedom, and freedom of speech.That is the focus of a new episode of the Lean to the Left podcast, featuring Josh Malkin, a Public Interest and Government Fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina. Josh is deeply committed to advocating for racial and educational equity and protecting the rights of children. In that context, he is helping to lead the fight against those Republican-sponsored anti-truth and censorship bills now before the South Carolina state legislature – all of them prompted by the red-flag issue of critical race theory.If you live in South Carolina and would like to share your views about these bills with your state legislators, here's what you can do:Call your representatives and inform them you stand against House Bills 4325, 4343, 4392, 4605, and 4799. If you would like to testify in Columbia, email [email protected] to let her know you would like to testify at the next possible meeting on the bills mentioned above. The Chairwoman has said multiple times that everyone who wants to testify will be heard, so folks who receive a rejection should let Josh know at [email protected] you wish to testify via Zoom, a sign on letter requesting Zoom testimony is available here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWYcp3Q_rzv-4vK1wnz-Tmjp6aUEqELsjNg0C8x-fyNCgd-g/viewformFor businesses/non profits, a sign on letter to oppose bills H. 4605 and H. 4799, which involve imposition on creation of corporate culture is available here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScGvQ1eNYw-G8EgXhScY064Gkb0Pw1SpDLGaIX1UrQYjPjXqA/viewform. More information about the "anti-truth" bills and our coalition, Truth in Ed SC, can be found: https://www.protruthsc.org/. Josh is available to answer additional questions at [email protected] a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-left-podcast--4719048/support.