Teachers across the U.S. protest laws restricting lessons on racism in schools
13 June 2021
Thousands of teachers and other educators held protests across the U.S. Saturday against the actions of "at least 15 Republican-led states" that aim to restrict teaching about racism in class, the Washington Post reports.
Driving the news: There were demonstrations in at least 22 cities for the "Day of Action" to raise awareness about moves to limit students' exposure to critical race theory, which links racial discrimination to the nation's foundations and legal system, per Axios' Russell Contreras.
- Organizers of the Zinn Education Project initiative say they want to send a message that they won't lie to students about racism past and present in the U.S.
- Thousands of teachers have also signed a pledge that declares that the educators "refuse to lie to young people about U.S. history and current events — regardless of the law."
The big picture: The aftermath of George Floyd's killing has brought to the fore the issue of systemic racism in the U.S., and many public schools have since tried to include the matter in lessons, WashPost notes.
- Critical race theory is not taught in any public school system, but it has become a prime target for many Republican-led states, including Florida and Tennessee.
What they're saying: National Teachers Association president Becky Pringle told USA Today the union was considering legal action over the restrictions, saying "we'll defend any teachers brought up on charge."
Go deeper: New conservative PAC targets school board elections
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.