After another two hours of passionate debate, West Virginia delegates passed “The Anti-Racism Act,” which reacts to the national conversation about race.
Delegates passed Senate Bill 498 on a 75-24 vote. The bill now goes back to the Senate, having changed significantly on its journey through the House.
The bill prohibits compelling adherence in school settings to concepts such as one race being inherently morally or intellectually superior to another. Or, that an individual’s moral character is determined by their race. Proponents have said the bill will prevent the indoctrination of “critical race theory.” Critics say its actual effect will be to chill classroom discussions about race.
Delegate Todd Longanacre, R-Greenbrier, was one of several delegates who spoke in favor of the bill.
“I’m hearing it never happens in West Virginia,” he said. “Folks, it has happened in other states. This bill seeks to keep it out of West Virginia. We want our teachers to continue to teach history. We want them to teach about Rosa Parks and what she went through on that bus. We want them to teach about slavery and the black eye it caused in America, on our society. We want them to teach about the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
“That’s history. I’m going to continue to teach it, and I’m not going to shy away from it. And I think the teachers I work with are smart enough to know the difference between brainwashing and teaching. I trust the teachers to make the right decision. Some of them don’t.”
Longanacre described an example of “Black Math Genius,” which was a program in Jefferson County meant to promote interest in math for Black students. The program drew protests from people who called it critical race theory.
“But why in the world would you even put Black or White on it?” Longanacre told delegates. “If I see a class that says, ‘Hey, 6 p.m., come to the Black Math Genius class,’ I might have to ask myself ‘Well, if I go and knock on the door to get in are they going to tell me Blacks to the front, Whites to the back?’ I don’t know. I hope not.”
The bill also specifies that it does not prohibit the discussion of the concepts in theory as part of an academic course. And it does not prohibit the discussion, examination or debate about race and its effect on historical or current events, including the causes of those events.
Speakers both for and against the bill acknowledged that each person probably has a different interpretation of what it seeks to do and what its effects would be.
The bill establishes a complaint and appeal process, starting with the principal and then moving up to the superintendent. Finally, the bill requires annual reports about those complaints, their nature and the resolutions of the complaints.
“Not one of you can explain to any teacher in the state what exactly this bill does or doesn’t do, including me,” said House Minority Leader Doug Skaff, D-Kanawha, who went on to say its main effect will be to sew division.
House Education Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer, made a similar point while speaking in favor of the bill.
“Considering we have one piece of paper here that has the same words on it, we have over 100 different opinions on what this thing says,” Ellington said, going on to describe some of the specifics of what’s in the bill. “Forget all those biases, all those other thoughts that you have and think about what this is actually saying.”
Delegate Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell, made a long speech asking his fellow delegates to shift their point of view. As he spoke, Hornbuckle displayed pictures of soldiers being intimidated at lunch counters, of a lynching, of young Emmett Till in the open casket that his mother insisted show his fatal injuries to the world.
“Do you feel uncomfortable?” Hornbuckle asked.
“This bill is about the feeling of discomfort,” he said. “This bill before us is about the punchback. It’s about the punchback to allies on social justice efforts, talking about economic equity. It’s about a political play, to reach into pockets of America, spreading misinformation to get elected. It all stems from CRT, which time and time again we’ve spoken about.
“It’s about the cross sectionality of racism and law. It has never, I repeat, never spoken that anyone is better than anyone and that anyone should feel guilty. It doesn’t teach that. So make sure you are informed before you vote on this bill on a false premise. I’ve got an idea. How about we be a beacon of light to our neighbors so we can all push this great state forward together and not keep going back, perpetuating false narratives. It’s a novel idea.”