Every Black senator in the Mississippi state legislature walked out on Friday in protest of the senate passing a bill that bans critical race theory.
The bill, which did not even define critical race theory correctly, forbids Mississippi public schools from forcing students to agree “that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion or nationality is inherently superior or inferior.”
Critical race theory is not taught in Mississippi, a point state education officials and Republican lawmakers acknowledged before the vote. The bill’s author Republican Michael McLendon could not identify one instance where critical race theory is taught in Mississippi schools. But, McLendon said he heard from many of his constituents who had learned of critical race theory “on the national news” and wanted to ensure it would not be taught in Mississippi, according to Mississippi Today.
Since CRT is not taught in Mississippi public schools, Democrats argue that the bill is unnecessary.
“It is sad we are wasting so much time on something that is not even needed,” Sen. David Jordan (D), a veteran of the Civil Rights movement and son of a sharecropper said. “If anybody is suffering from racism it is people of color and we feel we don’t need this bill … We are satisfied without it. What do you need it for? We have been the victims of it.”
The bill ultimately passed on a 32-2 vote. Only Democratic senators David Blount and Hob Bryan remained in the chamber to vote against the bill. It now heads to the House for a vote.
