On Friday, the Texas Board of Education voted to eliminate Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller from the state’s social studies curriculum.
“Texas State Board of Education votes to erase Hillary Clinton from history curriculumâ€
Texas State Board of Education votes to erase Hillary Clinton from history curriculum https://t.co/7WhxrZI0Jx pic.twitter.com/opaaWiFoEZ
— The Hill (@thehill) September 15, 2018
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
This is an unprecedented move by Republicans to re-write history in such a way that their racist, sexist, right-wing views are not just promoted but taught to children in the public schools of Texas.
A leading Texas Republican and member of the board of education, Barbara Cargill, told The Dallas Morning News that “the recommendation to eliminate Helen Keller and Hillary Clinton was made by Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills work groups.â€
“However the board did vote to agree with the work groups’ recommendations,†Cargill pointed out. “In speaking to teachers and testifiers, they did not mention these specific deletions.”
It was reported that the insane decision to re-write essential history was simply part of an overall effort to “streamline the state’s social studies curriculum.â€
In Texas “streamline†means get rid of information and people that don’t align with your political views.
The Texas students previously had to learn about Hillary Clinton after she made history in 2016 by becoming the first woman to be the presidential nominee of a major political party.
Third-grade students also have had to learn about Keller, a social activist who was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree.
Members of the volunteer work group that made such recommendations to the 15-member board of education said the state has been forcing children to learn about “too many historical figures.”
As a result, the volunteer work group graded historical figures and decided who was “essential” to learn about and who wasn’t. They considered things like whether the historical figure triggered a watershed change or if he or she were from an underrepresented group.
Neither Hillary Clinton nor Helen Keller were deemed to be “essential†historical figures for children to learn about. Apparently there were lots of other former First Ladies who became U.S. Senators, Secretaries of State, and major party nominees for the U.S. presidency, so Hillary had to be eliminated.
The board vote on Friday was preliminary and the final vote is scheduled for sometime in November.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
