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Ted Cruz Calls Critical Race Theory ‘Racist As Klansmen In White Sheets’

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) talks with reporters in during a recess in the impeachment trial at the U.S. Capitol on January 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. The Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, which started Tuesday, resumes today and is expected to last three to five more weeks. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that critical race theory is “every bit as racist as Klansmen in white sheets” at the Faith and Freedom Coalition: Road to Majority Conference in Duluth, Georgia.

Critical race theory (CRT) holds that the legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist as they function to maintain inequality between whites and non-white people.

“Critical race theory says America is fundamentally racist and irredeemably racist,” Cruz said. “Critical race theory seeks to turn us against each other.”

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The fight against CRT has become a new wedge issue for Republicans. Many supporters of the theory claim that the GOP has misunderstood the concept. Their argument is that CRT is not a singular theory or a political concept, but an intellectual idea to more accurately understand inequality in the U.S.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) recently signed House Bill 3979 which “prescribes how teachers discuss current events and prohibits students from receiving credit for participating in civic activities.”

Both Florida and Montana have banned CRT as well.

Begonia El Koury