Teaching our young to hate America

Every mother’s nightmare is here.

Education Secretary Confronted at Budget Hearing for Prioritizing ‘1619 Project’ in K-12 Education

By GQ Pan, The Epoch Times, May 6, 2021:
At a budget request hearing Wednesday, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) confronted Education Secretary Miguel Cardona over a proposed new rule that would direct a federal grant to prioritize the teaching that America is inherently racist.

Cole, a vice ranking Republican member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was “deeply concerned” by the Education Department’s new priority criteria for a $5.3 million American History and Civics Education grant. The proposal, which is currently undergoing a 30-day public comment period on Federal Register, specifically cites the New York Times’s “1619 Project” and the works of critical race theorist Ibram X. Kendi as exemplary materials for K-12 educators to use.

The 1619 Project, which sought to reframe U.S. history, consists of a collection of essays that argue, among many other controversial claims, that the primary reason for the American Revolution was to preserve slavery. Its historical accuracy has also been challenged by a variety of scholars, including the project’s own fact-checkers.

“These references have politicized civics education, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and created an impression that the administration cannot be trusted to promote civics education in a bipartisan, non-ideological way,” Cole told Cardona, noting that this controversy is also threatening legislation he cosponsored to expand civics education in American schools.

Story continues below advertisement

“Civics education, in my view, ought to heal what divides our country and this proposal, in my view, exacerbates that,” the congressman added.

In response, Cardona explained that the proposal is not meant to dictate curriculum at the federal level, but to make clear the kind of content his department wants grant applicants to incorporate into their curriculum.

“The Education Department does not mandate curriculum, nor does it lean in one way or another,” Cardona said. “What it does do is provide parameters for grants to be submitted, clarity so that those who are submitting grants can submit.”

“Yes, we have a divided country, but our education system is going to unite us,” he added. “The goal here is to build community, help students engage in their learning, and grow together.”

“But that Registry notice did not unite us and is doing quite the opposite,” said an unimpressed Cole.

In a statement to The Oklahoman after the hearing, Cole said Cardona’s responses were contradictory and unclear. “As a former history professor, I certainly support the desire to offer diverse perspectives in education,” he told the newspaper. “However, it is concerning and out of line for the department to cite the ‘1619 Project’ as factual, historical analysis.”

Cole’s concerns are shared by a group of 39 Senate Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). In a letter sent to Cardona last week, the senators argued that history and civics education should focus on actual knowledge about America’s institutions and historical development, rather than “activist indoctrination” that “splits our nation into divided camps.”

“Taxpayer-supported programs should emphasize the shared civic virtues that bring us together, not push radical agendas that tear us apart,” the senators wrote.

The Truth Must be Told

Your contribution supports independent journalism

Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.

Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.

Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.

Please contribute here.

or

Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.

Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding. Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.

Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.

Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.

Follow Pamela Geller on
Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.

Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the - symbol under the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

If you would like to join the conversation, but don't have an account, you can sign up for one right here.

If you are having problems leaving a comment, it's likely because you are using an ad blocker, something that break ads, of course, but also breaks the comments section of our site. If you are using an ad blocker, and would like to share your thoughts, please disable your ad blocker. We look forward to seeing your comments below.

Sponsored
Geller Report
Thanks for sharing!