By Brandon Moseley
Many advocates of banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Alabama schools wanted the legislature to take up the issue in the special session that begins on Thursday. However, that will not happen, according to bill sponsor State Rep. Ed Oliver (R-Dadeville).
CRT is an “intellectual and social movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color,” according to Britannica.
People who support CRT believe that racism is inherent in history and in the legal system of the U.S.
Critics say that CRT borrows a lot of principles and language from Marxism.
There are three bills pre-filed in the House to ban CRT. Oliver is the sponsor of H.B. 9, which would have banned state agencies “from teaching divisive concepts relating to race or sex in training.” The bill also prohibits those teachings for state contractors.
Reps. Chris Pringle (R-Mobile) and Danny Crawford (R-Athens) also have CRT ban bills.
“The bill that ultimately passes will have parts of all three bills,” Oliver said.
One issue Oliver has not heard about is any provision that would punish teachers. He said that the bill sponsors are not trying to punish teachers, but he does believe there needs to be some sort of enforcement provision in the legislation.
“If you have been written up by your supervisor and you keep doing it, then eventually something has to happen,” Oliver told 1819 News.
Oliver predicted that a CRT ban bill would pass in the 2022 Alabama Regular Legislative Session, which begins in January.
