Providing for Consideration of H.R. Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act, and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mr. OWENS. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to moving the previous question so we can immediately consider my bill, H.R. 4698, the Say No to Indoctrination Act, which prohibits Federal funds from advancing the hateful critical race theory concepts.

I grew up in the Deep South during the days of KKK, Jim Crow, and segregation. I have felt the pain of racism and have seen and experienced firsthand when people act unjustly toward others due to the color of their skin. And, yes, it still happens today when individuals choose hate.

Once an unknown academic theory, the increasingly pervasive CRT says that racism permanently stains the fabric of American society. The critical race theorists believe that we are defined solely by our skin color. They believe that America's institutions preserve white supremacy. Some even believe that our Nation is hopelessly racist.

To try to make this divisive theory understandable, teachers often separate students into separate groups based on intrinsic characteristics like race, color, and national origin. In doing so, students are taught to judge others based on their appearance. In the 1960s, this was called pure racism.

In the span of a few weeks, Democrats have gone from claiming that CRT was only a myth to boldly embracing it. They have gone from dismissing parental objections to endorsing indoctrination in schools across the country. The American people are right in their distrust.

Make no mistake, I want our students to learn about the hundreds of moments that shaped us into the country we are today. Students should learn about slavery and its legacy. Students should learn about the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation, Juneteenth, Jim Crow, the Tulsa race massacre, and the Civil Rights Acts.

They should also be taught and be proud of a Nation that, for over 200 years, has progressed, a country that has shown its commitment to its mission statement that all men and women are created equal.

We have not always lived up to our ideals but have come closer with each passing generation in doing so.

Racism exists. I grew up with it and have zero tolerance for bigotry and hate. More can be done to create a world that teaches greater tolerance and respects the dignity of every individual, regardless of race, color, or creed. CRT is not the solution.

It is absolutely wrong and un-American to indoctrinate our children into believing that because of their skin color, they are forever part of the oppressed or oppressor class. Hate has no place in our schools, and CRT has no place in our classes.

We live in a world of imperfect people and in a country that from its inception understood this. It was, therefore, placed within our mission statement a goal to grow, to change, and to form a more perfect union.

I choose to believe in a country where we are judged not by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.

I choose to believe in a country that empowers all individuals to dream big and to live fulfilling lives.

Madam Speaker, if you share my belief in our great Nation, then you, too, will vote to defeat the previous question so we can take up and pass, on behalf of the American people, the Say No to Indoctrination Act. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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