The two “above-the-fold” articles in the Times-Union for Wednesday, June 23 are a remarkable juxtaposition.
On the left of the page, we have “Commissioners Considering Ordinance on ‘Critical Race Theory’” and on the right we have a “County Historical Society Seeking Members.”
On the left, we have evidence that some local politicians, all Republicans, want to pass an ordinance that aims to suppress some aspects of U.S. history; and on the right side of the page we have a report on a local organization that wants people to join it to help sustain interest in local history.
There is an incredible amount of disinformation in the media regarding Critical Race Theory. And an equally incredible amount of ignorance, and I’m hoping that Dr. Chris Magiera and the Kosciusko County Commissioners are in the latter category – ignorant, rather than intentionally spreading disinformation. However, acting out of ignorance can have the same effect. I’ve not spoken with any commissioner nor with Dr. Magiera; but the reporting in the Times-Union provides no evidence that any of them have read or studied CRT; it appears that they’ve done nothing more than listen to commentators who oppose CRT; they’ve not bothered to read on the origins of CRT or to study it directly. It’s very important to do one’s research; dependence on secondary or tertiary sources, which may or may not be accurate, is not enough.
CRT has been around for more than 50 years; it’s standard practice among serious historians and is simply one method that historians use.
I urge our commissioners not to move forward with the proposed ordinance. It’ll not have any positive effect in any case, since it’s effectively a suppression of free speech, and I can’t imagine any federal court not striking it down. How can “the truth shall make you free” be valid if politicians work to suppress the truth?
