An angry Texas mother told the Texas State Board of Education on Tuesday that she doesn’t think it’s right for first graders to learn about the life and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi because that would be teaching “CRT” which is also known as Critical Race Theory.
The woman, who identified herself as “Jenna,” began her tirade:
“You refer to our flag, bonnets and mockingbirds as a significant symbol to a Texas community. No, these are emblems of identity and instill pride and connection with our home.”
It would inappropriate to teach children about “the importance of collaborating with various cultures” Jenna continued, because first they need to learn about their own culture:
“This revision wants to teach a first grader who is still putting notes to the tooth fairy under her pillow about following Gandhi’s lead to a peaceful protest. A first grader! CRT is already rampant and baked into our curriculum and we don’t want to be good little global citizens where are borders are considered a military zone.
“It’s a border and it’s good! Teach that. This is the land of the free, home of the brave. Be brave!”
State Board of Education Member Marisa B. Perez-Diaz countered Jenna by noting that she had failed to cite what Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) contain the standards that she was so enraged by:
“Be specific about what you’re talking about so that we understand that you actually have a legitimate concern or it’s not something you’re just hearing and reading and repeating. I guess I want to understand what on the history of how borders were created do you know about?”
That further angered the mother:
“I’m not an expert. I don’t appreciate your, um, belittling. I didn’t come here with a Ph.D. and I didn’t come up here as an educator or somebody on one of these work groups. I’m coming up here as a parent.”
Perez-Diaz reassured Jenna she wasn’t trying to belittle her in any manner:
“You just told our chair that you’d read it somewhere or you heard it, you don’t know. And that is not a belittling. I’m just acknowledging what you have yourself said.
“My point in asking you the question about borders is that is a clear example of why we need the standards the way that they have been written because this country did not always have borders. This country, we’re sitting on stolen land.”
After audience members in attendance applauded the board member’s remarks, she continued:
“That isn’t something that is in the standards. But what is in the standards is understanding our indigenous roots and understanding how indigenous communities have been impacted and those sorts of pieces of our history are very important.
“And so, again, I ask, what do you remember about learning about indigenous histories?”
Jenna was then forced to admit she didn’t learn much in history class when she was a student:
“I don’t remember very much about indigenous histories. I’m sorry I can’t answer your question about what I learned about indigenous communities and the border. I know our border is open right now and thousands are flooding over!”
