The facts on critical race theory

Pants on Fire in Virginia governor's race

This week:  GOP stoke a fire on critical race theory … 'People are dying who never died before': Who said it? … Pants on Fire for McAuliffe's Virginia budget claim … Grassley on lithium battery policy … What is China's 'Belt and Road' Initiative? A weekly note from the editor-in-chief of    U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., recently introduced a Senate resolution that said critical race theory "serves as a prejudicial ideological tool, rather than an educational tool, and should not be taught in K-12 classrooms." (AP) How a GOP Senate resolution condemning critical race theory distorts the facts In America's fraught debate over race and justice, a blend of Republicans, libertarians and conservatives have focused their ire on critical race theory.  It's not a well-defined target.  Supporters describe critical race theory as a collection of ideas, not a single doctrine, that explain why racial inequality and disparities persist long after civil rights laws and court rulings barred discrimination.  Opponents use it as a blanket label for any discussion of white privilege, and they have encouraged local school districts to forbid the teaching of anything that addresses systemic racism. At the federal level, Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott recently introduced a Senate resolution that said critical race theory "serves as a prejudicial ideological tool, rather than an educational tool, and should not be taught in K-12 classrooms." The resolution encourages states and localities to take actions that would discourage critical race theory.  In the style of resolutions, the measure is built on a sequence of "Whereas" clauses to establish what the sponsors consider to be the factual basis for the resolution. We vetted its claims. "Whereas Critical Race Theory's teachings stand in contrast to the overarching goal of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in the United States" This is wrong. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the fulfilment of decades of work by civil rights activists to end legal discrimination. Supporters of critical race theory generally applaud those efforts. Their complaint is that the legacy of discrimination persisted after the law passed. When the law passed, it was hailed as a major step towards equality. The gap between the promise and the results is what drove the formation of critical race theory.  In her 2018 book "Critical Race Theory: A primer," University of California-Berkeley law professor Khiara Rodgers noted that Blacks remained disproportionately poor. The Civil Rights Act, Rodgers wrote, was necessary but insufficient. "Critical race theory seeks to make real the promises of the 1964 Civil Rights Act," Rodgers told PolitiFact. "To claim that it is inconsistent with the Civil Rights Act is dishonest." "Whereas Critical Race Theory serves to resegregate institutions of education and balkanize students into groups by race and ethnicity" We found no current article by a critical race theory supporter that advocated resegregating schools. If the desire exists, it appears to be limited.  A 1993 bibliography of scores of articles on critical race theory identified some writings that held "that people of color can best promote their interest through separation from the American mainstream." But that was just one out of 10 themes the researcher tracked. It showed up infrequently and, when it did, was only occasionally directed at schooling. The intellectual grandfather of the theory, law professor Derrick Bell, had a pragmatic take on desegregation. Bell was less concerned about Black and white students going to the same school, and more about them getting the same quality schooling — the same books, the same course offerings and the same sort of facilities. "While the rhetoric of integration promised much, court orders to ensure that Black youngsters received the education they needed to progress would have achieved much more," Bell said in 2004. "Whereas efforts to indoctrinate critical race theory into United States school children are designed to eventually transform the United States by stigmatizing its economic system and creating a hatred of all its institutions" This is unsupported. In the first place, officials who want to ban critical race theory can't point to examples where it is being taught in their K-12 schools. So the indoctrination of schoolchildren described in this claim would be difficult.  As for "hatred" of American institutions, the U.S. economic system does come under fire for its emphasis on private property. One of the pioneer theorists, University of Wisconsin professor emeritus Gloria Ladson-Billings, wrote that at the country's founding, property defined who could vote. And by allowing humans to be owned, the founders put property rights above human rights.  "African Americans represent a unique form of citizen in the United States — property transformed into citizen," Ladson-Billings wrote. "This process has not been a smooth one." The incoming president of the National Academy of Education, Carol Lee, said critical race theory is one of several perspectives that can shine a light on American society. Lee oversaw the academy's guidance to schools on teaching civic reasoning. "We essentially argue that young people, in fact all citizens and those living within the U.S., need to understand both the inequalities that have (been) and continue to be embedded in our practices and institutional configurations," Lee told PolitiFact. "But at the same time they must understand the unique and powerful features of legal governance in the U.S. that provide pathways for engaged citizens to struggle peacefully to transform laws and practices that oppress people." Read a longer version of this story on our website. >>> — Jon Greenberg Share Tweet Forward The Latest from PolitiFact Pants on Fire for the Macker. Democratic candidate for Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe tweeted, "I inherited the largest budget deficit in the history of the state from the Republicans." PolitiFact Virginia rated this Pants on Fire! In fact, he inherited two balanced budgets from his predecessor and then, in the first months of his governorship, saw state revenues shrink because of federal policies. (McAuliffe is running again for the office in 2021.) In addition, the revenue shortfalls were not the largest budget gaps in state history. McAuliffe has repeatedly been called out by fact-checkers on this claim over several years. Grassley wrong on Biden lithium policy. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that the Biden administration "ignores the negative environmental impact created by lithium mining." We rated that False. The administration now oversees a project approved by the Trump administration that has drawn lawsuits, but it is vetting another lithium mine proposal against a full menu of environmental considerations. The Energy Department is seeking $75 million to recycle lithium batteries as a strategy to increase supply with less environmental damage.   Charlie Kirk wrong on Fauci book profits. Right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk said this about Dr. Anthony Fauci: "Tony Fauci will make millions off of a new book about 'Truth' while Americans continue to suffer because of his endless stream of lies over the past year." We rated this False. Fauci isn't making any money off the book. The book draws from Fauci's interviews and speeches throughout the pandemic, and is being produced in connection with an upcoming National Geographic documentary film about him. The earnings will go to the nonprofit National Geographic Society. Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help   Yes, I support PolitiFact! Make a tax-deductible donation to make this message go away. Who said it? 'People are dying who have never died before' First it was then-President Donald Trump who supposedly said, "People are dying who have never died before." Then it was President Joe Biden who said, "People will die, who have never died before."  Now, it's U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.  "People are dying who have never died before," a recent Facebook post claims the Georgia Republican said.  Except she didn't, and neither did Trump or Biden. We rated the claim False.  The quote, or something close to it, has been circulating on social media for more than a decade. It was actually made famous by author Ernest Hemingway.  According to a book of selected letters by Hemingway, he once wrote that someone had "advised us all to be careful as men are dying this year who have never died before."  Sandra Spanier, general editor of the Hemingway Letters Project, told AFP that the author used the phrase two other times and attributed it to a friend, Edward "Bra" Saunders. — Ciara O'Rourke News from the Poynter Institute: Will Congress help the news? After a devastating pandemic that shuttered newspapers and eliminated thousands of jobs, journalism advocates are asking Congress to step in to support the struggling industry. At least two major bills to help journalism have been reintroduced, and more are on the way. The three pieces of legislation that have gotten the most publicity — the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act, the Local Journalism Sustainability Act and the Future of Local News Act — are not new. But advocates say that the bills could gain traction this legislative session as members of Congress realize the dire circumstances newsrooms face. The bills vary widely in approach. One would grant newspaper publishers immunity from antitrust laws for four years, allowing them to collectively negotiate with technology companies like Google and Facebook. Another would give tax credits to newspaper subscribers, employers and advertisers. Yet another would establish an independent commission to study the news business and make recommendations.  Read more at Poynter.org >>> — Angela Fu, the Poynter Institute Ask PolitiFact: What is China's Belt and Road Initiative, and why is Joe Biden concerned? Despite its vast reach, China's Belt and Road Initiative is not widely known among Americans outside foreign-investment and diplomatic circles. But the project's potential implications for the future of global commerce and geopolitics have suddenly placed it near the top of the West's policy agenda.  At their recent summit in Cornwall, England, the G-7 countries backed an effort to offer an alternative to China's sprawling, eight-year-old effort to build physical and digital infrastructure in other countries.  The G-7 effort, called "Build Back Better for the World," is being championed by Biden as a way to counter China's authoritarian government and growing global influence. ("Build Back Better" was one of Biden's 2020 campaign slogans to promote U.S. infrastructure investment.) PolitiFact recently spoke with experts and researched answers to the following questions: What is the Belt and Road Initiative? Why is China pursuing it? Why is the United States worried? What did the G-7 nations do to counter it? Find the answers in our full report. >>>   Quick links to more fact-checks & reports    No sign that the COVID-19 vaccines' spike protein is toxic or 'cytotoxic'   Donald Trump's 'I was right about everything,' fact-checked   Is a select congressional committee the next best option for probing Jan. 6?   No, Coca-Cola didn't make 'Try to be less white' cans   Sherri Tenpenny makes false claim on COVID-19 vaccine magnetism to Ohio lawmakers Do you smell smoke?  Here's your Pants on Fire fact-check of the week: Misleading video says Joe Biden was impeached. That didn't happen. See what else we've rated Pants on Fire this week.  Have questions or ideas for our coverage? Send me an email at holan@politifact.com. Put "Fact-checking" in the subject line. Thanks for reading! Angie Drobnic Holan  PolitiFact Editor-in-Chief  Send this link to your friends so they can sign up for this email! Copyright © 2021 PolitiFact, All rights reserved. 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