Recently in the news, parents have been claiming that their children are being “indoctrinated” because of the curriculum that is being taught in schools. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is something many people may have heard of, but may not actually know what it means, and it has been under fire in the media.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gives a good basis for understanding the theory, “CRT, as it is known, does not focus on the behavior of individuals. Rather, it examines how race has shaped culture, legal systems and policies to produce unequal outcomes.”

Introduced on Jan. 13th, Georgia’s House Bill 888 seeks to ban the teaching of CRT in public schools. The bill opens with a statement denying the idea that systemic racism is prevalent in America’s institutions. This statement paves the way for people to deny parts of America’s history, instead of seeking to better educate our children.

Oftentimes, people against CRT will misconstrue its purpose, claiming that the theory is creating a divide between the races, blaming white individuals for slavery, and making children feel guilty about their ancestor’s actions. However, this is not the intention of the theory. Rather, it seeks to explain how racism is deeply intertwined in our history and has influenced all social and political systems in the United States.

Previous to the introduction of House Bill 888, in June 2021, a resolution was passed by the State Board of Education. This resolution starts by saying that “the state of Georgia is not a racist state.” It then goes on to say, “schools should not teach that one race or sex is inherently superior” or that “an individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.”

The resolution was heavily promoted by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who tweeted in May 2021 that CRT is a “divisive and anti-American curriculum” and urged the board to take “immediate steps” to keep critical race theory and its “dangerous ideology” out of Georgia schools. These events were the seed that Bill 888 sprouted from.

Kemp’s actions are a blatant attempt to conceal history. Our own governor should not be promoting the idea that teaching about the role race played in history is dangerous. This sets an example and can embolden people who share similar views to speak out against this important theory.

If the teaching of CRT is banned in schools, teachers will have to walk on eggshells when talking about any topics regarding race. During the teaching of certain historical events, such as the slave trade, teachers will have to downplay the horrific events that took place in order to not be seen as promoting the idea that one race is responsible for acts of oppression committed to another race. However, this would be sugarcoating history and will leave future American children with a skewed vision of their country’s past.

Aside from skewing students’ narratives of America’s past, House Bill 888 would also take away essential funding from public schools. Any violations of the bill would result in a 20 percent loss of state funding for school districts. This would have detrimental effects on all schools within the districts and make it harder for students to learn. It would restrict education and punish teachers for properly educating children.

By censoring American history, House Bill 888 is trying to prevent the accurate teaching of American history. Teachers should not have to stop themselves from teaching facts because they are worried that someone will see America’s true history as offensive.