Williamson County in Tennessee in 2020 adopted a new curriculum, “Wit and Wisdom,” which incorporates the quasi-Marxist critical race theory (CRT), in grades K through five at the beginning of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus lockdowns.
Although legislation prohibiting teaching CRT in public schools in Tennessee went into effect in July, these ideas are now infused throughout the curriculum, according to Robin Steenman, Williamson County chapter chair of Moms for Liberty.
“Some of the material within ‘Wit and Wisdom’ curriculum [published by Great Minds] is explicitly CRT but most of it is implicit,” Steenman said in an interview on EpochTV’s “Crossroads” program. “It is the drumbeat in the background, the constant pushing and pushing to look at the angry white faces. The vocabulary, words that they choose, are ‘unjust,’ ‘unfair,’ ‘violence.’ You expose a kid to that day after day, for an hour a day, then they’re going to get the message whether the textbook says CRT or not.”
Critical race theory (CRT) is based on the Marxist concept of class struggle, which pits two social classes—the bourgeoisie and the proletariat—against each other to divide and conquer. CRT applies this same principle to race, dividing people into oppressors and the oppressed based on their skin color.
The bill enacted (pdf) by the State of Tennessee doesn’t mention CRT by name, but prohibits teaching students that any race or sex is superior to any other or that an individual is “inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive” due to their race or sex. It also forbids teachers from instructing students that the United States is inherently sexist or racist. The bill further bans any teaching that suggests the U.S. government should be violently overthrown.
How CRT Is Taught
“The running theme of the whole curriculum is emotion,” Steenman said. “If it’s anti-church, that will stir up emotion, anti-police, anti-firemen, anti-tradition—especially the racially charged parts—of course that will stir up emotion. You know, the imagery in K through five and a lot of these books is angry faces. You’re very hard pressed to find a smiling illustration in any of these books.”
BY ELLA KIETLINSKA AND JOSHUA PHILIPP
