NC SENATE PRES. PRO TEM PHIL BERGER
NC GOP DECLARE WAR ON
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND
RELEVANT RACE HISTORY
By Cash Michaels
An analysis
The gloves are now off!
Top NC Republicans have now publicly vowed to fight the practices of affirmative action and teaching relevant race history (what they call “critical race theory”) in public schools legislatively to ensure that people of color and women are not afforded what the GOP perceives to be any advantage over white citizens.
“Children must learn about our state’s racial past and all of its ugliness, from the 1898 Wilmington massacre to Jim Crow,” the conservative Carolina Journal online magazine quoted Senate Leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, at a news conference July 14th prior to a committee meeting. “But students must not be forced to adopt an ideology that is separate and distinct from history; an ideology that attacks ‘the very foundations of the liberal order,’ and that exalts ‘present discrimination’ — so long as it’s against the right people — as ‘antiracist.’”
The Carolina Journal story continued, “ Berger said he opposes Critical Race Theory and “will combat it with everything that I have, because I believe the doctrine undoes the framework that produced the most successful ongoing experiment in self-government in the history of mankind … whether you acknowledge it or not, this doctrine seeks to recast the foundational principles of American society. We must not let that happen.”
North Carolina has now officially jumped onboard the anti-Critical Race Theory train, even though not one public school teaches, or is slated to teach what, in reality, is a 40-year-old legal term for determining institutional and systematic racism in American society.
That didn’t stop Republican NC Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson from telling the Senate Education Committee, “I want to make one thing clear: The issue of indoctrination in our classrooms is real. It’s not some figment of somebody’s imagination. It’s happening all across the state, unfortunately.”
That committee is working to toughen HB 324, which, if passed, would effectively make it illegal to teach that “one race or sex is inherently superior to the other,” or even have discussions about America’s racial history, because that could be interpreted as “indoctrination.”
In effect, Republicans believe that what they call “CRT” would teach white children that they are inherently bad because of how badly their ancestors have historically treated Black people. Apparently white parents across the nation have that impression, and are rising up in arms at local school board meetings, apparently taking the GOP political bait that Democratic liberals are trying to miseducate their children.
Last week, a New Hanover County Public School Board meeting had to be halted because “concerned” white parents demanded that CRT not be taught.
Sen. Berger has cited both Durham and Charlotte - where public school leadership have respectively welcomed a more accurate teaching of America’s racial history - as examples of exactly what he vows to fight “…with everything I have.”
NC Democrats, as best as they can, aren’t having it.
“If we want to learn from history, then we need to teach history - all of it, the good and the bad,” NC Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue (D-Wake) wrote in a July 14th tweet.
“When we exclude the hard parts, we are doing a disservice to our students an our country,” he continued.
Sen. Blue’s Democratic colleagues agree.
“HB 324 “would limit teachers’ and students’ ability to have crucial conversations that address the systematic inequities in the United States that persist today,” say NC Senate Democrats.
“I fear that what it really does away with is critical thinking in the classroom,” said Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D-Wake)
but Democrats in the state Senate, and House, are in the minority, so unless Gov. Cooper can veto the HB 324, it will become law.
Not willing to pass up a golden political opportunity when they see it in the leadup to the crucial 2022 midterm elections, NC Senate Republicans are moving to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban affirmative action in the state, and that’s something Gov. Cooper cannot veto.
If passed, that would prohibit North Carolina colleges and universities from using race as key factors in admissions, and employers from using it in hiring.
Thus, Senate bill 729 “…would prohibit discrimination against or preferential treatment toward “any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.”
Currently, race is allowed to be a factor in North Carolina university admissions.
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ANDREW BROWN, JR.
AS LAWSUIT IN ANDREW
BROWN CASE FILED,
REPUBLICANS WANT TO
TOUGHEN BODYCAM LAW
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
It was three months ago this week, on April 21st, when Pasquotank Sheriff’s deputies fatally shot and unarmed Andrew Brown, Jr., 42, in front of his Elizabeth City home as they were serving a warrant for his arrest.
The three deputies responsible have not been criminally charged, but last week the Brown estate filed a $30 million federal lawsuit against Dare County Sheriff Doug Doughtie, Pasquotank County Tommy Wooten, and the seven Pasquotank deputies involved.
Reportedly, Dare County law enforcement worked with Pasquotank authorities in identifying Brown per the outstanding warrant.
Meanwhile, there months after the fatal shooting, none of the sheriff’s deputies’ bodycam footage of the killing has been officially released to the family or the media by a judge, as has been demanded by the family and protestors.
Now there’s word that Republican lawmakers want to actually make it tougher for the families of police shooting victims, or the media, to obtain law enforcement bodycam footage in a timely manner after an incident.
Currently, only a judge can release the footage.
In May, a bipartisan group of senators sought to rewrite the law so the families could have access within five days, unless law enforcement can show why that should not be the case.
But now, thanks to lobbying by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, the families would not have automatic access to the bodycam. A judge would be the sole arbiter of who sees the footage, and when.
The new proposed version, Senate Bill 300 also would not prohibit those who see the bodycam footage from describing what they saw, but it would criminally punish anyone who made an unauthorized copy, and then publicly released it.
SB 300 was passed by the Senate, and is currently in the state House Rules Committee.
In the $30 million lawsuit filed by Andrew Brown Jr.’s estate against the Dare and Pasquotank County sheriff’s departments, it contends that Brown’s constitutional rights were violated when deputies used unlawful deadly force as he drove away in an attempt to flee upon their arrival. The suit continues that there was no evidence of Brown posing a threat as he was unarmed, and thus, his was a “wrongful death” and “battery and assault.”
The lawsuit also seeks the full public release of all bodycam footage of the Brown fatal shooting.
Some of that footage was displayed by Pasquotank District Attorney Andrew Womble during a May press conference where he announce that he would not criminally charge three of the seven county deputies for firing into Brown’s vehicle.
Andrew Brown Jr. was killed when one of the bullets fired by deputies at his moving vehicle struck him in the back of his head.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 07-22-21
COMMUNITY EXPRESSES CONCERN ABOUT POLICY 5120
[WILMINGTON] Concerned citizens met with members of Black Lives Matter and New Hanover County Educational Justice Tuesday afternoon at the 1898 Memorial to discuss how NHC Public Schools Policy 5120 is written regarding whether parents have to be called if they are questioned by law enforcement or searched by law enforcement. That policy was passed on first reading Tuesday night. The main concern was that without clarification, students of color, special needs students and others will be abused by law enforcement. Even though the new version of Policy 5120 reportedly suggests that parents will be called, there was still concern by community activists that the language is still not clear enough before it is adopted.
“This policy has to be changed and the parents should be present with law-enforcement talk to their children even if it’s a witness or interrogation any form or fashion they should be there and I want people to understand that we have to sign up for children and be the voice for our children,” said Sonya Patrick, local leader of Black Lives Matter.
NHC SCHOOL BOARD MEETING HELD REMOTELY AFTER PREVIOUS OUTBURST
[WILMINGTON] After last week’s New Hanover County Public School Board meeting was disrupted by people speaking out of turn, and angry parents yelling about the possibility of Critical Race Theory being taught, the board decided to complete the meeting by Zoom this week to forestall any other disruptions. The board even had speakers who were properly signed up last week but not heard tape what they had to say.
School Board Chair Stephanie Adams chided those who disrupted last week’s live meeting, one that she did not attend. Adams maintained that disruptions cannot be tolerated.
STUDENTS WILL STILL HAVE TO WEAR MASKS; NEW SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM ADOPTED
[WILMINGTON] Many parents believe that with the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic waning, their children should not have to wear protective masks to school, Tuesday evening, the NHCPublic School Board maintained that because the state still requires children’s faces to be covered while they’re class.
Meanwhile NHC Public Schools will adopt the new NC Social Studies Standards for this fall, which are designed to dive deeper into “underrepresented voices” throughout history, and challenge all students to learn more about the impact of slavery and the civil rights movement, but challenge them to better understand these events through critical thinking and discussion.
NHC Public Schools Supt. Dr. Charles Foust assured the public that what has been labeled as “Critical Race Theory”- a 40-year-old law school lesson - is not part of the curriculum. “Is there reference of slavery in history? Yes. Is there reference of injustices in the history books? Yes. Are we teaching critical race theory as it’s written at the collegiate level and at the — when you’re getting your JD? No.”
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