Full Text of HR0365 102nd General Assembly
HR0365 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, With the ongoing police shootings and the | 3 | | post-George Floyd movement, it is imperative Congress makes | 4 | | federal grants available for President Biden's push for | 5 | | teaching critical race theory in schools and to law | 6 | | enforcement; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, Critical race theory critiques how the social | 8 | | construction of race and institutionalized racism perpetuate a | 9 | | racial caste system that relegates people of color to the | 10 | | bottom tiers of society; it also recognizes that race | 11 | | intersects with other identities, including sexuality, gender | 12 | | identity, and others; critical race theory acknowledges that | 13 | | the legacy of slavery, segregation, and the imposition of | 14 | | second-class citizenship on Black Americans and other people | 15 | | of color continues to permeate the social fabric of this | 16 | | nation; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, 70 years after Brown V. Board of Education, many | 18 | | children still attend segregated schools; there are continual | 19 | | funding disparities between majority Black and majority White | 20 | | schools; BIPOC, or Black, Indigenous, and people of color, | 21 | | students are disproportionately suspended and funneled into | 22 | | special education programs; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The majority of principals and teachers are | 2 | | White, even as their students are not; this means that many | 3 | | administrators are unable to fully perceive how racism | 4 | | operates without specific training; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Critical race theory calls upon principals and | 6 | | teachers to examine how history, politics, culture, and | 7 | | economics inform our understanding of race, racism, and other | 8 | | forms of marginalization; without this framework, principals | 9 | | and teachers may be committed to racial justice but be unable | 10 | | to translate their commitments into action; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, By recognizing how race and racism shape our | 12 | | institutions, principals and teachers can find innovative ways | 13 | | to value the lived experiences of BIPOC families, prioritize | 14 | | the recruitment and retention of BIPOC faculty and staff, | 15 | | elevate the voices and experiential knowledge of BIPOC, adopt | 16 | | culturally responsive teaching practices and historically | 17 | | accurate U.S. history curriculum, and embrace the traditions | 18 | | of the communities in which they work; and
| 19 | | WHEREAS, As in the field of education, teaching critical | 20 | | race theory to law enforcement officers would have incredible | 21 | | benefits; many of our nation's systems and structures, | 22 | | including the legal system, were created when people of color | 23 | | were denied full participation in American society; many law |
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| 1 | | enforcement officers do not understand how the justice system | 2 | | was shaped and continues to work against people of color; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Taking critical race theory courses helps law | 4 | | enforcement officers come face-to-face with the reality that, | 5 | | not too long ago, police officers played an active role in the | 6 | | enforcement of many of the discriminatory and racist laws of | 7 | | the time; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Many law enforcement departments do not reflect | 9 | | the diverse population they serve; with critical race theory, | 10 | | law enforcement officers can understand the history of BIPOC | 11 | | citizens and see how they were and are viewed by the people in | 12 | | the community they serve; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, A new rule proposed by the U.S. Education | 14 | | Department states financial grants could be used to encourage | 15 | | schools to "incorporate teaching and learning practices that | 16 | | reflect the diversity, identities, histories, contributions, | 17 | | and experiences of all students"; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The use of federal grants to encourage the | 19 | | teaching of critical race theory to students and to law | 20 | | enforcement would be a critical step forward in the fight to | 21 | | dismantle racist structures and systems that are still present | 22 | | in our nation; therefore, be it
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| 1 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 2 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 3 | | we urge the Congress of the United States to make available to | 4 | | schools and law enforcement agencies federal grants which | 5 | | support the teaching of critical race theory; and be it | 6 | | further
| 7 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 8 | | presented to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy | 9 | | Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and all members | 10 | | of Congress.
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