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8 UCW JUNE 30 - JULY 6, 2021 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM NEWS Lt. Gov. Robinson, Senate leader blast school link to Critical Race Theory by JOHN TRUMP Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and the Sen- ate's top officer are calling out Char- lotte-Mecklenburg school leaders, after the state's second-largest school system paid $25,000 to a top proponent of Criti- cal Race eory. e payment covered Ibram X. Kendi's virtual presentation last week at the Charlotte school district's Summer Leadership Conference. "is is clear and direct evidence that Critical Race eory is being pushed in North Carolina," Robinson said in a statement released Wednesday from the state Senate. "e fact that a public school district would pay someone who chooses to teach others that 'the only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination' is unimaginable. "is kind of thinking does not help us move forward from the days of Jim Crow, in fact, it is leading us back to them," Robinson added. "is makes it clear that the left is working to bring back a racial divide and not unity. It is time that we all take a stand as Americans against Critical Race eory." Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, joined Robinson in highlighting Kendi's presentation for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. "To those who say Critical Race eory isn't in North Carolina schools: e state's second-largest school district paid $25,000 to leading Critical Race eory proponent Ibram X. Kendi for an event just last week." e news release from Berger's office describes Kendi as "perhaps the world's most prominent criti- cal race theorist." "Kendi advocates for racial discrimination," ac- cording to the release. "He wrote, 'e only remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination. e only remedy to present discrimination is future discrimination.'" Kendi also opposes capitalism, according to the release. "He advocates an overthrow (death by 'un- natural causes') of the economic system that has generated more wealth and progress than any in the history of the world," the release reports. "He wrote, 'Capitalism is essentially racist; racism is essentially capitalist. … [T]hey shall one day die together from unnatural causes.'" Berger and Robinson assign importance to CMS' apparent endorsement of Kendi's views. "is is not some footnote to a school curriculum's consider- ation of America's racial past," according to the news release. "is is the state's second-largest school dis- trict embracing a discriminatory ideology by paying $25,000 to learn from the ideology's most prominent adherent." e release notes that CMS encourages students to read Kendi's book "Stamped: Racism, Anti Rac- ism, and You." "is is not a public school system encouraging students to read a diversity of perspectives," accord- ing to the Senate news release. "It is a public school system embracing and endorsing the concepts contained in Kendi's book." "To say I'm troubled by this insidious, discrimi- natory doctrine's creep into North Carolina public schools is an understatement," Berger said. "Chil- dren must not be taught that it is appropriate to en- gage in 'present discrimination,' and public schools must be held to account for advancing this danger- ous line of thinking." It's not clear from the news release whether Berger or Robinson plan to pursue any official ac- tion targeting CMS because of the $25,000 payment to Kendi. Editor's Note: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University, and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at e Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the host of the new action podcast, "Be Antiracist." Dr. Kendi is the author of many books including "Stamped from the Beginning: e Defini- tive History of Racist Ideas in America," which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest ever winner of that award. He has also produced five straight #1 New York Times bestsell- ers, including "How to Be an Antiracist," "Antiracist Baby" and "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You," co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In 2020, Time maga- zine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is calling out school leaders who paid Critical Race eory proponent Ibram X. Kendi to speak on the topic. (Photo by Maya Reagan, Carolina Journal) make your Radio sound funny. Mornings 6am to 10am on WFAY. Bud & Broadway JOHN TRUMP, Carolina Journal News Service. COMMENTS? editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. 910-484-6200. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi (Photo by Stephen Voss)