A group of GOP state representatives in Rhode Island introduced a bill to the General Assembly that would prohibit “teaching divisive concepts.”
The H.6070 bill, introduced into the state’s House in early March, seeks to “prohibit the teaching of divisive concepts and would mandate that any contract, grant or training program entered into by the state or any municipality include provisions prohibiting teaching divisive concepts and prohibit making any individual feel discomfort, guilty, anguish or any distress on account of their race or sex.”
Additionally, the bill offers ten definitions of what should qualify as a “divisive concept” banned from public education, NBC 10 News reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Sen. Tom Cotton To Introduce Bill That Would Ban Critical Race Theory In The Military)
BREAKING: Rhode Island is introducing legislation to ban critical race theory training programs. The bill would prohibit public institutions from promoting race essentialism, collective guilt, and neo-segregation. Let’s go, Rhode Island! pic.twitter.com/nf76wpzZYZ
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 30, 2021
Concepts deemed controversial enough to consist banning include assertions that “an individual, by virtue of their race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously,” or “any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of their race or sex,” according to the document.
The Rhode Island House Committee on Education will debate Wednesday on the bill, NBC 10 reported.
Introduction of the proposed legislation comes days after Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza unveiled the findings of a study that reportedly sheds light on “separate and unequal existence of Black, Indigenous and people of color communities in the state.”
A number of city leaders involved in the study have already spoken out against the H.6070 bill.
“Reconciliation and the resulting reparations really is for everyone’s benefit. If we don’t call out our history and understand it, history has shown that we will repeat it, and we have repeated some of these wrongs for too long,” said B.J. Murray, a member of Providence’s Reconciliation Subgroup, according to NBC 10.