WASHINGTON (AP)
— Some of the nation’s most influential Black leaders on Thursday said many threats to democratic institutions in the U.S. appear to be aimed squarely at their community, including efforts to make voting more difficult, censor lessons around race and weaken social safeguards such as affirmative action.
They used a wide-ranging forum at the annual meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation as a call to action to ensure that the interests of Black Americans are not further eroded.
“The attacks on our democracy are happening on all fronts,” said Nicole Austin-Hillery, president & CEO of the foundation.
She said they are grounded in “a racist view of America, and they all depend on misinformation and often downright deceit.”
Several members of the Black Caucus, along with voting rights advocates and community activists, spoke about how mostly Republican-led actions to dismantle affirmative action in higher education, ban books in schools, and restrict voting are particularly harming Black Americans.
As one example, they referred to the state and local controversies over critical race theory, an academic concept centered on the notion that racism is inherent in the country’s institutions. It has become a familiar talking point for Republican lawmakers across the country as they have restricted how race can be taught – even though there is little evidence that critical race theory is being taught in K-12 schools.
Kimberlé W. Crenshaw, a law professor who helped develop the concept, said it was part of a widespread attack on Black history, wisdom, and knowledge.
“We have to recognize that what we’re fighting for right now is not just the next election or the election after that,” she said. “We’re fighting for our right to be here for the rest of this century and beyond.”
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation said 18 states have limited how race can be taught. Florida, whose governor, Ron DeSantis, is running for the GOP presidential nomination, has made headlines around its efforts to curb how schools teach about race and to block Advanced Placement courses on African American studies.
Several speakers also criticized the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision earlier this year ending affirmative action in college admissions. That is forcing campuses to look for new ways to diversify their student bodies.
Damon Hewitt, president, and executive ,…
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