Republican Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn, introduced a bill Wednesday that would prohibit critical race theory from being taught at U.S. military service academies.
Green, an Iraq war veteran and West Point graduate, called critical race theory “is a Marxist ideology created to tear American institutions down.”
“Critical Race Theory is based on a massive and purposeful misunderstanding of the American founding, American history, and America as it exists today,” he said. “It teaches Americans and members of the Armed Services to judge one another by the color of their skin instead of by the ‘content of their character.’ America should never go back to this kind of thinking. A curriculum based on Critical Race Theory seeks to divide Americans instead of unite them.”
In April, the Washington Free Beacon reported on “anti-racist” training taking place at West Point — the prestigious federal academy located in West Point, New York. The institution announced a diversity and inclusion plan through the year 2025 to “create an environment that appeals to the aspirations of American’s younger generation.”
Green said he is concerned military service academies are focused on training “woke social justice warriors,” rather than soldiers and future combat leaders.
“This ongoing assault on our military by the radical left is damaging to our readiness and our competitive advantage,” he said. “The United States military service academies are designed to train leaders and warriors for combat—men and women of every race, creed, and religion. Critical Race Theory’s divisiveness will destroy the unit cohesion necessary to win in combat and defend this nation.”
The U.S. Navy recently updated its suggested readings in the Professional Reading Program. Several of the suggested texts pertain to critical race theory, including Ibram X. Kendi’s “How to Be an Antiracist” and Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow.”
State legislatures have introduced or passed measures to ban critical race theory and limit its applicability in state education curriculums. Tennessee’s House passed a bill to ban critical race theory in schools on Wednesday. Idaho did not fully ban critical race theory in April, but the measure signed by Republican Gov. Brad Little bans teachers making students “affirm, adopt or adhere to” any principles that say a person’s race, ethnicity, sex, or religion is responsible for actions of their identity group. The bill does not ban teacher trainings.
