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Tate Reeves signs new law restricting how race, identity is taught in Mississippi schools

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Brittany Brown
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 Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves delivers his State of the State address outside the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Jan. 25, 2022. Reeves is a supporter of Senate Bill 2113, which restricts how race and identity is taught in schools.
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis
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Senate Bill 2113, formerly known as ‘critical race theory; prohibit,’ restricts how race and identity is taught in public schools and colleges in Mississippi. Gov. Tate Reeves signed the bill into law yesterday and marked the occasion with a public video statement.

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Tate Reeves signs new law restricting how race, identity is taught in Mississippi schools

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"Children are dragged to the front of the classroom and are coerced to declare themselves as oppressors, taught that they should feel guilty because of the color of their skin, or that they are inherently a victim because of their race. I know you'll agree with me when I say that there is no room for this type of indoctrination in our state," the governor said.

Supporters of the bill said the law prevents schools from teaching that any individual is inherently superior or inferior because of their race and identity. It applies to all public schools in the state, including universities, community colleges and charter schools. The law also states that the Mississippi Department of Education can withhold funds to any school in violation of this, but Candace Coleman with the ACLU of Mississippi said the vagueness of the law is a cause for concern.

"It’s going to make teachers not want to talk about anything when it comes to race, because they will be afraid that a parent can come forward and make some type of complaint. This bill has no real instruction on consequences or who would be the authority in creating those consequences and making sure those consequences are implemented," Coleman said.

The law passed the Mississippi Legislature without a single Black lawmaker voting for it. With Gov. Reeves signing this bill, Mississippi becomes the 15th state in the union to pass legislation to restrict how race and identity is taught in schools.