Utter Bullshit

Let me start by saying what is not okay: People who try to influence children with a one sided ideology of government, history and other social issues. There is no way that this is okay. However this is what is occurring in Texas. Apparently, the school board has hired conservative experts to help them to change and improve the curriculum within their public schools. These experts would like to erase all kinds of civil rights leaders from the history books- people like Caesar Chavez and Thurgood Marshall.Evidently people like Thurgood Marshall are “not qualified” to be in the history books. Let me give you some quotes:
• "To have César Chávez listed next to Ben Franklin" – as in the current standards – "is ludicrous," wrote evangelical minister Peter Marshall
• “[Thurgood] Marshall is just not a STRONG enough example” said Peter Marshall
Soo lets address the “unqualified” argument. My question is, if Chavez and Thurgood arent qualified, who is?? Lets look at Thurgood for a moment. He overcame his own discrimination within his own life. He rectified discrimination through his accomplishments as lawyer who won Brown v. Board of Education. Then, if that’s not enough, he becomes the first African American judge in our supreme courts and works to change discrimination across the nation. Chavez-And he isn’t qualified to be in our history books? His accomplishments arent good enough? What more does he have to do, except be white…but I digress.

Even more appalling, there is another quote from Barton, Former Vice Chair of Texas Republican party
• because the U.S. is a republic rather than a democracy, the proper adjective for identifying U.S. values and processes should be "republican" rather than "democratic." That means social studies books should discuss "republican" values in the U.S., his report said.I have a serious problem with reinforcing “republican values” within the public school system. I have an even bigger problem with erasing key people who absolutely deserve to be remembered for their accomplishments and sacrifices. Social studies is suppose to be a reflection of the progression of social issues in our nation. It should not be an area that simply highlights a set group of iconic Americans, who just so happens to look alike. Thurgood Marshall is unquestionably one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century. How can one argue otherwise? School children should be inspired civil rights leaders such as he as well as leaders such as Medger Evers, Fannie Lou Hammer, and Rosa Parks. To disregard the accomplishments of pivotal leaders, to withhold important historical information, and enforce a one sided perspective and account of our progression definitely encourages us to move backwards as a nation.