Letter to Harris Pastides, President University of South Carolina, to James P. Clements, President Clemson University - Rep. Norman Leads Letter to Clemson & University of South Carolina Regarding Critical Race Theory

Letter

Dear President Pastides and Clements:

As Members of Congress representing thousands of University of South Carolina (UofSC) and Clemson University students across the state, we are deeply concerned about the imposition of dangerous Marxist principles on the next generation of South Carolinians. We vehemently oppose the manifest of Critical Race Theory (CRT) in our public learning institutions and ask that both institutions eradicate any related classes or learning initiatives immediately.

At its core, the CRT movement promotes the belief that America is racist, and systemic racism continues to permeate ever aspect of our history and society. CRT proclaims all white people are oppressors and all black people are inherently oppressed, regardless of their values or beliefs. White people are also publicly expected to "confess their collective and individual sins with no hope of forgiveness, redemption, or acceptance in the new revolutionary society." This philosophy is not only antithetical to American principles of equality under the law, but is heavily rooted in collectivism and failed socialist policies of the past.

Therefore, we are extremely disappointed by both Universities' decision to permit a neo-racist ideology on campus, especially considering their receipt of millions of state and federal taxpayer dollars each year. For example, in "EDFI 747 - Critical Race Theory" taught by Professor Anders, UofSC students are taught that the foundations of our democracy, like capitalism and equality, are in fact white supremacy and oppression in disguise. While Critical Race Theory programming at Clemson University is better camouflaged, students can earn course credit for classes like "COMM 8030: Survey of Communication Technology Studies" where they can learn research-based approaches to critical race theory or attend a two day Embodiment and Race Conference on campus in the Fall that will "explore the issues of race and embodiment from the perspectives of critical-race theory". Unfortunately, this phenomenon transcends the South Carolina state line. One CRT professor at the University of California Los Angeles has even suggested "suspending private property rights, seizing land, and wealth and redistributing them along radical lines". While we support freedom of thought and expression on college campuses, we cannot condone lectures that turn the notion of individual rights and federalism on its head or foster an atmosphere of self-loathing based on physical characteristics outside of our control.

Moreover, we recently learned that the UofSC held a two-day professional training seminar, "The CRT Summer Institute (CRTSI)", marketed to help students and faculty explore CRT theories and disseminate these ideals in the community. The admission to the program was $100 and included a CRT T-Shirt. This suggests that the University is profiting off "wokeism" and unilaterally exploiting socialist propaganda for their own financial gain.

Due to the incorporation of CRT into college course catalogues, the prideful cries of "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all" once heard in schools around America is now replaced with misguided contempt for the Stars and Stripes. We adamantly oppose both the University of South Carolina's and Clemson's enablement of CRT teachings within American academia. We ask you to prevent any such classes from being taught and instead encourage your University leadership to focus on celebrating what unites our young people rather than exaggerate what divides them.

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