Yahoo News Nearly half of Republicans don’t think history of racism should be taught in US schools
Nearly half of all Republican respondents to a newly released survey have said they are against the history of racism being taught in American schools.
As many as 43 per cent of respondents to the poll, which was published by Monmouth University on Wednesday, told pollsters they were against “public schools teaching about the history of racism”.
Around three in 10, or 34 per cent, of Republicans meanwhile answered whether they were against “schools teaching about the history of racism” by saying they “strongly” disagreed.
The numbers were even higher when asked if they wanted “critical race theory”, or CRT, to be taught in the schools – to which 78 per cent of Republican respondents were reportedly against.
Democrat respondents, meanwhile, were almost all in favour of schools teaching about the history of racism, with as few as five per cent against it, and two per cent “strongly” opposed.
The Monmouth University poll was yet another sign of Republican anger at so-called “critical race theory” being taught in classrooms – although, as many reports have highlighted, it is not.
Glenn Youngkin, the Republican candidate in last week’s race for governor in Virginia, capitalised on concerns among parents on the issue by calling for a ban on “CRT”.
“We are going to teach all history – the good and the bad,” he said during his campaign, while painting the catch-all term of critical race theory as divisive.
“America has fabulous chapters, and it’s the greatest country in the world, but we also have some abhorrent chapters in our history,” said Mr Youngkin in another speech. “We must teach them.”
Many analysts have put Mr Youngkin’s win last week down to parents on both sides who swung behind him amid concerns at both CRT and Covid restrictions in schools – whether or not they were founded on reality.
Discussions around racism have become more heated after anti-racism demonstrations across the US last year, and mainly Republican backlash.
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