Education Sec. Cardona Implies Support for '1619 Project,' Refuses to Answer Gender Question

During a House of Representatives hearing on Thursday morning, United States Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (D) did little to instill confidence that the Biden administration will stand against the progressive theories threatening schools across the country.

The first troubling exchange occurred when Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) asked Cardona whether the controversial “1619 Project” is currently taught in schools. The “1619 Project” is The New York Times’ ongoing effort to place the institution of slavery at the center of American history, and assert that the colonists fought the British for the right to keep their own slaves.

Cardona deflected Walberg’s initial question, saying that the Department of Education does not get involved in this issue. But an unsatisfied Walberg pressed Cardona a second time, to which Cardona replied that students who “see themselves in the curriculum” are “more likely to be engaged” in their education:

Walberg: Let me just move back to the question. Do you agree that the "1619 Project" is a curriculum taught in schools?
Cardona: We don’t get involved, as the federal government, in monitoring curriculum in schools. I think that’s a state responsibility, so I couldn’t answer whether or not it is being taught in schools. What I can tell you is that we don’t have a role, but as an educator I will tell you … When students see themselves in the curriculum, they’re more likely to be engaged. And they’re more likely to feel comfortable and feel a sense of community, that schools are providing as Dr. Rudine Sims-Bishop calls "windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors."

Rudine Sims-Bishop is an Ohio State University professor who has been called the “mother of multicultural children’s literature.” She has written numerous children’s books focusing on social and cultural consciousness, and spoken out about divisive concepts like “whiteness” and gender identity.