Louisiana Schools Only The Good, Not The Bad

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. It’s even worse if one isn’t given the opportunity to use it when it is sharp and can absorb much knowledge. If it were left to the Louisiana Republican Party, that would have happened yesterday. According to reports, officials with the state’s Republican Party held at a recent meeting approved a resolution whereby state lawmakers would “forbid” the study of racism at colleges and universities. The reason given for such a backward request, they argued, was to stop classes from examining (teaching) “inglorious aspects” of U.S. history because it is too divisive. They don’t want the full truth of this nation’s history to be told to adults, not pre-teens or teenagers, as by the time an individual is in college, they are at least 18 years old. One would hope that those Republicans considered that because this could be seen as government overreach. Are they saying that young adults can’t think for themselves? Party officials want lawmakers to go all out by “removing diversity, equity and inclusion departments and agencies within any institution of higher learning in the state”, citing that is a waste of resources. That response is not a surprise from conservatives because some have tried(and succeeded) in taking over school boards in an effort to control what students read and are taught, with racism and CRT leading the do not touch list, followed by LGBTQ material in school libraries. One should notice that the resolution only applied to state public institutions of higher, not private or Christian ones. One can imagine where money not used at these public schools would end up, probably in some voucher form to private schools. This shows just how far some in the Republican Party in Louisiana are willing to go if they can get lawmakers to do their bidding. They appear to be hedging their bets on current state AG Jeff Landry who is running for governor. Landry may have tried to pull a fast one when he announced before any other potential challengers that he was running. He hoped enough Republicans would coalesce around him and anoint him as the heir apparent to outgoing Gov. John Bel Edwards. Maybe they believed that Landry would be Louisiana’s version of FL Gov. Ron DeSantis, taking nearly complete control over Louisiana with its supermajority in the Legislature. The resolution criticizes the state’s flagship school, LSU, and the University of Louisiana system program for “dedicating money and staff to diversity, inclusion and equity” that act as “divisive ideological commissariats”, and that CRT makes students “feel less” rather than more welcome. Where’s the evidence? There has been some pushback from state education officials separating themselves from any aspects of the resolution, saying their emphasis is on the student “belonging” on the campus in the wider community for all. We are told that if some material is taught, especially to those in elementary schools, about racism(CRT), that would amount to “indoctrination”. CRT, though what we have been told, is not being taught in schools before college. This is interesting in that, what it is called when adults are subjected to what only you want them to hear, and it is drilled into their mindset - is that not called indoctrination? When you don’t want them to know about those “inglorious aspects”, but your version will be sanitized - is that not indoctrination? Colleges and universities were once considered “open-minded institutions" where free thought could flow. It is seen as a place where one can enhance their knowledge and learn to respect all ideas, whether one disagrees with them or not. The Bible has some inglorious aspects in it, but do we shy away from the truth? Don’t answer. The Bible does not indoctrinate us. It gives us a choice, as it also gives us knowledge and understanding. We believe it to be true, accept it or not and move on. Some will not accept the whole truth, or teach it, only their version, which is the so-called good part. When that is done, it takes away from an individual the ability or right to use their mind to decide for themselves.