Jun. 04, 2021
HARRISBURG – Reps. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) and Barb Gleim (R-Cumberland) have joined together to sponsor legislation prohibiting the teaching, funding or dissemination of racist and sexist concepts by the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions, including school districts.
Their legislation –
House Bill 1532 – the Teaching Racial and Universal Equality (TRUE) Act, is aimed at curtailing the divisive nature of concepts that have become known as “critical race theory.”
“Our legislation makes it clear that no Pennsylvania school district, public postsecondary institution, or state or local government entity shall teach that any race or sex is superior to another, that any individual based on their race or sex is inherently racist or sexist, or that any individual should receive favorable treatment or be discriminated against based on their race or sex,” Gleim said.
On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King stated, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
“The manner in which important concepts such as racial and gender equality are taught in our schools could not be more important in defining the type of society we have,” Diamond said. “Teaching our children they are inferior or inherently bad based on immutable characteristics such as race and sex can be extremely damaging to their emotional and mental well-being.”
In the nearly six decades since Dr. King’s speech, Pennsylvania has made great strides in securing civil rights equality for people of all races, as well as women’s rights. Critical race theory further divides us by making the immutable traits of race and gender a prime factor in how we view others – exactly the opposite of Dr. King’s dream.
“On May 18, 2021, Pennsylvania voters resoundingly approved a constitutional amendment further protecting the rights of individuals, regardless of race or ethnicity, and further enhancing this Commonwealth’s stance toward the objective of treating every individual Pennsylvanian equally in all aspects of life,” Gleim said. “It’s time to get back to concentrating on teaching the basic educational foundations of reading, writing, math, science and social studies, rather than attempting to indoctrinate our students with a theory or belief system that is divisive and not curriculum based.”
Our schools should be teaching that every individual is equal under the law and that no individual should ever be labeled superior or inferior simply due to their race or genetic makeup,” Diamond said. “Such misguided ‘teachings’ interfere with our sworn constitutional duty to support and maintain a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.”
Representative Barbara Gleim
199th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
RepGleim.com /
Facebook.com/RepGleim
Representative Russ Diamond
102nd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
RepDiamond.com /
Facebook.com/RepDiamond
Media Contact: Charles Lardner
717.260.6443
clardner@pahousegop.com