Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley calls for 'every governor in the United States' to BAN funding for critical race theory in schools
Nikki Haley has called for every governor in America to ban funding for critical race theory in schools.
The former U.N. Ambassador on Monday that teaching the subject is 'harmful for the well-being of our children'.
It comes amid increasing anger among parents over CRT-themed subjects being taught in schools and workshops being offered to teachers and administrations.
New rules approved on Monday by the State Board of Education in Oklahoma meant public school teachers could have their teaching licences suspended for teaching certain concepts about race and racism.
Nikki Haley has called for every governor in America to ban the teaching of critical race theory, saying the subject is 'harmful for the well-being of our children'
Haley told Fox News: 'Think about a five-year-old that starts kindergarten and they don't know anything about color.
'If she's White, you're telling her she's bad. If she's Brown or Black, you're telling her she will never be enough and she's always a victim. That's harmful for the well-being of our children.'
The former South Carolina governor argued that teaching CRT will have 'long-lasting effect on children' and called on governors to not take money from the Department of Education to fund classes on critical race theory.
In a tweet earlier this month, she said: 'Critical race theory is going to hold back generations of young people. My parents always taught us to focus on what brings us together not sets us apart.
'America should be united around shared values, not divided by different shades of color.'
In a tweet earlier this month, the former U.N. ambassador said that the nation 'should be united around shared values, not divided by different shades of color'
Haley, whose parents immigrated to the US from India, recalled being 'teased' as a kid and that her mother told her to 'show them how you're similar', rather than different.
In Oklahoma, the State Board of Education approved emergency rules with just one opposing vote to comply with a bill approved by the Republican-led legislature this year that purports to ban so-called CRT.
The new law prohibits public school teachers of grades K-12 from teaching eight different concepts about race, including that an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.
It also prohibits teaching that any individual should feel discomfort or guilt on account of his or her race or sex.
Eight states have banned the critical race theory and several others are considering passing similar resolutions
The Republican authors of the bill said it targeted CRT, which is a way of thinking about America's history through a lens of racism, although there is no mention in the bill of CRT, which is not typically taught in K-12 schools.
Democrats in the Legislature who opposed the bill argued it was a waste of time and addressed a non-existent problem.
Carlisha Bradley, the only black member of the board, voted against adopting the rules, saying she believes the new law and the rules are doing a disservice to students and teachers.
'With these rules, we are robbing students of having a high-quality education,' she said.
Several current and former teachers addressed the board and said they support the new rules.
Lawn signs opposing the critical race theory were posted outside a school board meeting in Virginia last month