WASHINGTON, D.C. — Independent Women’s Forum (IWF), Independent Women’s Voice (IWV), and Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC), the nation’s leading women’s organizations dedicated to expanding support for common-sense public policies, are taking a stand against the use of taxpayer money to divide Americans on the basis of race.
IWV recently sent several letters of support to members of Congress who have introduced legislation and a resolution opposing government implementation of Critical Race Theory (“CRT”). In particular, IW endorsed efforts by Representatives Burgess Owens and Dan Bishop to condemn and stop federal money from being used to fund programs that categorize and divide federal workers, members of the United States military, and public school children on the basis of race.
In addition, on May 19th, 2021, IWF filed a comment objecting to the Department of Education’s “Proposed Priorities – American History and Civics Education,” published April 19, 2021 (86 Fed. Reg. 20348, April 19, 2021; Document Number: 2021-08068), which announced the Department’s intention to prioritize grants to educational programs that include elements of CRT and so-called “anti-racism.”
Although CRT and “anti-racism” hide behind the mantle of equality, these doctrines, in fact, reject the equality principle and urge us to view one another not as individuals or as Americans, but as members of either an oppressor or victim class on the basis of skin color.
Hadley Manning, director of policy for Independent Women’s Voice said, “We cannot begin to combat racism if we allow CRT to divide us by focusing on racial differences instead of our common humanity. We must not stand by while our government indoctrinates its own employees to believe that America is inherently racist and divides our servicemen and women along racial lines, thereby undermining their common purpose.”
IWF Senior Policy Analyst Inez Stepman, who drafted IWF’s public comment on the Department of Education’s Proposed Priorities, said, “Public schools are, of course, free to expose students to different modes of analysis and thinking about American history and government. What they cannot do under U.S. civil rights law is treat students differently on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity. And the federal government should not encourage, through the federal grant-making process, public schools to teach students to view each other first and foremost through the lens of race.”
Jennifer C. Braceras, director of Independent Women’s Law Center added, “America was founded on the principle that all human beings are created equal, and we have sacrificed enormous blood, sweat, and treasure striving to live up to that promise. Our nation has made incredible progress. But Critical Race Theory undermines our efforts by dividing us on the basis of race and teaching that American institutions are inherently and irredeemably racist.”
Learn more about Critical Race Theory and so-called anti-racism HERE.
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Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended, but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.
Independent Women’s Voice fights for women by expanding support for policy solutions that actually enhance people’s freedom, opportunities, and well-being.
Independent Women’s Law Center advocates for equal opportunity, individual liberty, and respect for the American constitutional order.