Tom Cotton introduces legislation to stop US military from promoting critical race theory after Navy recommends 'antiracist' works
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has introduced legislation to remove what he describes as 'divisive' and 'anti-American' ideas from military training.
Cotton's bill introduced Thursday comes amid a debate about how critical race theory, also known as CRT, has influenced U.S. institutions, Yahoo! News reported.
The U.S. Navy has recommended service members read books by high-profile 'antiracist' authors Robin DiAngelo, who penned 'White Fragility,' and Ibram Kendi.
Kendi's book, 'How to be an Antiracist,' explicitly endorses discrimination as a way to counter systemic racism.
Recent media coverage has noted the spread of CRT ideas in schools.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas has introduced legislation to remove works promoting critical race theory from military training
Cotton describes works by authors such as Ibram Kendi, above, as 'divisive' and 'anti-American'
Author Robin DiAngelo penned 'White Fragility,' a book also mentioned by Cotton as having 'no place in our military'
Cotton said the military's strength depends on troop unit and their 'knowledge that America is a noble nation worth fighting for.'
The legislation would specifically ban theories claiming the U.S. 'is a fundamentally racist country' or that '[a]n individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.'
'Critical race theory teaches that race is a person's most important characteristic, and that America is an evil, oppressive place. That idea may be fashionable in left-wing circles and college classrooms, but it has no place in our military,' Cotton said.
'Not only will such racist ideas undermine our troops' faith in each other, they'll also erode their trust in our country's guiding principles,' Cotton said. 'The United States military shouldn't be promoting such divisive, un-American ideas.'
Ibram Kendi's book, 'How to be an Antiracist,' explicitly endorses discrimination as a way to counter systemic racism
'Antiracist Baby,' a book by writer Ibram X. Kendi and illustrator Ashley Lukashevsky
The bill's text says the legislation should not be construed as restricting free speech or preventing service members from accessing materials advocating the theories.
The legislation could face difficulties in a Senate with a 50-50 split between Republicans and Democrats with independent allies. In the event of a tie, the deciding vote would be cast by Vice President Kamala Harris.
If the legislation passed, the measure would likely be rejected by President Joe Biden, who has moved to undo former President Donald Trump's ban on CRT trainings.
Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado and Vicky Hartzler of Missouri sent a March 11 letter to Adm. Michael Gilday expressing concern about books on the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program reading list, Fox News reported.
In addition to Kendi's 'How to be an Antiracist,' the books to which they expressed opposition included Michelle Alexander's, 'The New Jim Crow,' and 'Sexual Minorities and Politics' by Jason Pierceson.
'All three books reinforce the view that America is a confederation of identity categories of the oppressed and their oppressors rather than a common homeland of individual citizens who are united by common purposes and fidelity to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and codified in the Constitution,' Lamborn and Hartzler said in their letter to Gilday.
Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado, pictured, and Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri sent a March 11 letter to Adm. Michael Gilday expressing concern about books on the Chief of Naval Operations Professional Reading Program reading list
Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri co-signed the letter opposing the inclusion of books on a Navy list including Michelle Alexander's, 'The New Jim Crow,' and 'Sexual Minorities and Politics' by Jason Pierceson
