Boston University professor and "How to Be an Antiracist" author Ibram X. Kendi wrote in a recent op-ed that the Republican Party is "not the party of any group of parents" but "the party of white supremacy" because of their opposition to the teaching of critical race theory.
Writing for The Atlantic in a piece published Saturday, Kendi claimed the GOP is "clearly" not the party of parents because of its aversion to "anti-racist education."
"The Republican Party is clearly not the party of parents. The Republican Party is certainly not the party of parents of color. But is the Republican Party even the party of white parents?" Kendi wrote.
He said that Republicans "branding" themselves as the party of parents is a "myth" as "dangerous" as former President Donald Trump's claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Kendi wrote that the "myth" represents a "Trump Tower of GOP propaganda" that was built on "false conceptual building blocks," which he says are that "Republican politicians care about white children," "Anti-racist education is harmful to white children," "Republican politicians are protecting white children by banning anti-racist education," and "Republican politicians are protecting white children by banning anti-racist education."
The professor continues by suggesting that if Republicans cared about parents, they "would not be ignoring or downplaying or defending or bolstering the principal racial threat facing white youth today," adding that he was not speaking of CRT, but rather, white-supremacist ideology.
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"What are white children being indoctrinated with? What is making them uncomfortable? What is causing them to hate? White-supremacist ideology: the toxic blend of racist, sexist, ableist, homophobic, transphobic, Islamophobic, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic ideas that is harmful to all minds, especially the naive and defenseless minds of youth," he wrote. "Which group is the prime target of white supremacists? White youth."
Kendi also took a shot at Republicans' support for Florida's Parental Rights in Education law, which has been falsely referred to by critics as the "Don't Say Gay" bill despite there being no mention of a ban on the word.
"Instead of focusing on this very real threat, Republican politicians—to justify Florida’s 'Don't Say Gay' law—have cited QAnon conspiracy theories about public schools being overrun by child predators who are 'grooming' children to be gay. A spokesperson for Governor Ron DeSantis reframed the 'Don't Say Gay' bill as an 'anti-grooming' bill," Kendi wrote, referring to DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw. "But if QAnon Republicans really cared about white children, then they would be worried about white-supremacist grooming. This is the grooming that parents of all children should be worried about."
Kendi also claimed that "anti-racist education" protects "all children" against the "growing threat" of white supremacists.
He went on to suggest that Republican efforts to ban CRT in schools is not intended to protect children, but to win elections. He wrote that GOP attacks on the controversial doctrine are "intended to deceive, aggrieve, and mobilize enough white donors and voters to win contested elections this year and beyond."
"Republican operatives have been most likely to organize “don’t say race” campaigns in schools located in swing districts, particularly where a majority-white school population is rapidly diversifying," Kendi wrote.
The author asserted that Republicans are making it increasingly difficult for students to learn about history and that the GOP is "stripping" parents of their ability to protect their children from indoctrination.
"The Republican Party is not the party of parents raising white kids," Kendi wrote. "The Republican Party is not the party of parents raising girls, raising trans kids, raising kids of color, raising queer kids, raising poor kids, raising immigrant kids. The Republican Party is making it harder for all of these kids to learn about themselves and their histories. The Republican Party is stripping parents and educators of their collective ability to protect vulnerable children from being indoctrinated by—or victimized by—the scourge of white supremacy."
Kendi concluded, "This Republican Party is not the party of any group of parents, but the party of white supremacy."
The op-ed included the terms "white supremacy" or "white supremacists" a total of 28 times throughout the piece.
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