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Mississippi became the latest Republican-controlled state to impose limits on discussions of race in school on Monday (March 14) after the governor signed a bill into law effective immediately.
"Contrary to what some critics may claim, this bill in no way, in no shape and in no form prohibits the teaching of history," Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement posted online. "Any claim that this bill will somehow stop Mississippi kids from learning about American history is just flat-out wrong."
The bill, Senate Bill 2113, explicitly says that "critical race theory" is prohibited in the state's classrooms, NBC News reported. But the legislation doesn't define what counts as critical race theory and some of the law's supporters reportedly can't even define the term.
Under the new law, no school, community college or university can teach that any "sex, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin is inherently superior or inferior."
The state chapter of the ACLU, says this law and others like it "are thinly veiled attempts to silence discussions of race and gender amongst students and educators."
Black state lawmakers walked out of a vote on the bill in protest back in January.
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