State Senate Democrats walk out of hearing over bill to ban teaching about systemic racism

(Detroit Metro Times) Two Democratic state senators walked out of a committee hearing Tuesday in protest of a bill that critics say will prevent teachers from frankly discussing racism in classrooms.

Sens. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, and Sen. Dayna Polehanki, who are both former teachers, said they refused to participate in the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee, where Republicans were advocating the passage of House Bill 5097.

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The bill, which passed the House in November, would prohibit schools from teaching any curriculum that includes the “promotion of any form of race or gender stereotyping or anything that could be understood as implicit race or gender stereotyping.”

In November, House Democrats walked out of a meeting after Republican leadership prevented Rep. Cynthia Johnson, D-Detroit, who is Black, from addressing the legislation.

“I’m tired of white legislators lecturing black people that the U.S. is post-racial and that things like ‘privilege’ or ‘oppression’ based on race no longer exist,” Polehanki, a former teacher, tweeted after walking out of the meeting. “These bills are designed to terrify teachers into avoiding any meaningful discussion about racial discrimination.” ..............(more)

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