During Monday night’s Clemson Undergraduate Student Government (CUSG) Senate meeting, the body approved a resolution condemning “anti-black” legislation in the South Carolina state legislature, claiming that the passage of such bills affects Clemson undergraduate students.
The resolution focuses much of its attention on House Bill 5183, which was recently introduced in the State House of Representatives. The Student Senate said that it distorts the definition of critical race theory and falsely alleges that the theory is taught in K-12 education in SC.
Several statements within the resolution expressed concern over a perceived intent “to obscure the authentic racial history of the United States.”
“The voting members of the South Carolina State Legislature [should] cease any and all legislative activities with the purpose of prohibiting the instruction of particular academic subjects in public institutions of learning in the state of South Carolina,” wrote Senators Scotty Moore and Caroline Avinger in SR01
Going forward, this bill opposes the passage of other bills which limit academic freedom and discussion in classrooms across the state.
“H. 5183 calls for the releasing of teacher names and employers for even alleged violations which may be a safety threat to both teachers and students, and this bill may specify K-12 education, but the bill H. 5183 originates from state ‘institutions of higher education,’ which may lead to further legislation to be developed by the state house to further control the discussions and education which occur in classrooms,” Moore said.
Prior to the discussion and approval of the resolution, L. Kaifa Roland, Director of Pan-African Studies at Clemson, gave a presentation aimed at informing the Student Senate about the realities of critical race theory.
Several post-presentation questions from senators asked for Roland’s own perspectives on the proper place of racial discussions in K-12 classrooms. Roland stressed the importance of teaching children the reality of American history from a young age, stating that black children are not afforded the choice of whether to learn about racism in the U.S.
The Student Senate concluded that H. 5183 will affect the upcoming freshman populations of Clemson for years to come, as well as the teachers who teach those students and the students who will one day become teachers.