Granite State Times

A much-debated New Hampshire bill pushes to ban educators, state employees and state contractors from teaching concepts that target individuals based on their race.

House Bill 544, which is included in House Bill 2, seeks to ban teaching critical race theory (CRT), defined by the Oxford Research Encyclopedia as "a framework that offers researchers, practitioners and policymakers a race-conscious approach to understanding educational inequality and structural racism to find solutions that lead to greater justice." 

"This bill defines and prohibits the dissemination of certain divisive concepts related to sex and race in state contracts, grants and training programs," the text of the bill states.  

Miriam Richards wrote in an opinion piece for Valley News that the language of the bill is confusing, which has led to people understanding it differently. Although many believe the measure would eliminate any discussion of topics like racism and sexism, it actually works to open such dialogues, she argued.  

“What the bill does do is explicitly protect what its opponents claim it does not,” Richards wrote. “They believe the bill would ban free and open discourse on the topics of systemic racism and sexism. In fact, HB 544 states exactly the opposite in its closing paragraphs: 

'Nothing ... shall be construed to prohibit discussing, as part of a larger course of academic instruction, the divisive concepts listed (above) in an objective manner and without endorsement. ... Nothing ... shall prevent agencies or contractors from promoting racial, cultural or ethnic diversity or inclusiveness.'”

The words “without endorsement” are, according to Richards, at the heart of the bill and they address the training sessions and their tactics.

“They would ensure that debate and discussion are allowed without fear of retribution,” she wrote. “Make no mistake, these training sessions are well-intentioned, with honorable goals — a world that is diverse and inclusive, free of prejudice and discrimination and equal opportunity for all.”

The bill was introduced by state Rep. Keith Ammon (R-Hillsborough), who did so “at the behest of a college professor at one of our state universities” who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being fired, SeaCoast Online reported. Ammon said that the language from House Bill 544 will most likely remain in House Bill 2. 

“Because using taxpayer money to indoctrinate kids that the thing that matters most about them is the color of them and to believe that the Constitution is racist, that’s not a good use of taxpayer money,” Ammon said. “Why would we do that?” 

Richards wrote that CRT “is premised on white supremacy and systemic racism” and that “critical race theory training sessions automatically assume” some of these concepts that HB 544 finds divisive: that “'one race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex'; that 'an individual, by virtue of his or her race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously'; that 'an individual’s moral character is necessarily determined by his or her race or sex'; or that 'any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex.' The list goes on,” she concluded.

Critics of HB 544 believe it will prevent educators from teaching matters of race and sex-based discrimination, despite the bill's language quoted by Richards above. 

According to the blog GraniteGrok, which is circulating a petition to prevent critical race theory from being taught in New Hampshire schools, CRT “teaches children to judge others not by their character but by their skin color – a complete reversal of the lesson of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which has been a moral foundation in education for over 50 years.”