Open Letter: Congress Must Oppose the Civics Secures Democracy Act

The Civics Alliance

We members of the Civics Alliance convened by the National Association of Scholars call on all U.S. Senators, Representatives, as well as all concerned American citizens, to oppose the Civics Secures Democracy Act, whether in its original or its revised form. In practice, the Civics Secures Democracy Act will enable the federal government to impose both Critical Race Theory and “Action Civics”—vocational training for ideologically partisan protest and lobbying—upon America’s schools.

Over the last year, voters and their representatives in state after state have delivered a resounding rebuke of Critical Race Theory in education. Their message remains clear: schools must be free of indoctrination and activism. Yet, the Civics Secures Democracy Act would supercharge politicized education around the country, at precisely the moment when the public has rejected it.

Last year, the Civics Alliance sent an open letter to Senator John Cornyn and Congressman Tom Cole, urging them to rescind their support for the Civics Secures Democracy Act. We renew that appeal to Sen. Cornyn and Rep. Cole now, and address it to other Senators and Representatives as well. Far from supporting the teaching of traditional American civics, the Civics Secures Democracy Act will do the opposite. Under the pretense of supporting American civic education, this bill would fund education research and teaching initiatives with an unmistakable ideological agenda. The Biden administration made that clear when it issued priorities for American civics and history grants, guidelines which approvingly referenced The 1619 Project and the work of Ibram X. Kendi. The Biden administration history and civics grant guidelines amount to a call for Critical Race Theory in education, and the Civics Secures Democracy Act would fund it.

...

Read the whole letter, and consider signing it, at the Civics Alliance website


Photo by Dineda Nyepan on Unsplash

  • Share

Most Commented

October 29, 2024

1.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

November 19, 2024

2.

Lee Zeldin Should Reform EPA Science Policy

NAS welcomes the nomination of Congressmen Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency....

November 20, 2024

3.

NAS Welcomes Administrator McMahon's Nomination to Serve as Education Secretary

With McMahon, the new administration has a chance to drastically slim down and depoliticize the Education Department....

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

May 26, 2010

3.

10 Reasons Not to Go to College

A sampling of arguments for the idea that college may not be for everyone....