MADISON– Representative LaKeshia Myers (D-Milwaukee) issued the following statement regarding AB 411 and AB 414.
Myers stated, “The bills passed by the legislature today, should be called the ‘White Supremacy Preservation Package of 2021’, because that is what they represent. Both AB411 and AB414 are bills in search of problems. The authors claim the bills are against the teaching of Critical Race Theory—a legal doctrine they have consistently mis-characterized—but they are in effect the centerpieces of a concerted GOP effort to roll back the clock and return us to a time when racial inequity, sexual assault, and strictly Eurocentric ideas were commonplace. Diversity is the bedrock of our country and one of greatest sustaining forces of our future. As evidenced by recent census reports, America’s non-white populace is growing by leaps and bounds; AB411 and AB414 are testaments to the fear and distress the population shift stokes in the minds of many Republicans.”
“We have seen this behavior before, just look to historical figures Lee Atwater, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Race, for many is a difficult subject to discuss, primarily because it forces us to grapple with the fact that for much of our existence, American ideals and policies have often been mismatched. This is a sin that we are on a constant path to rectify even today, through acknowledgment, acceptance, and changes in policy”, said Representative Myers.
Myers went on to say, “The bills passed today not only ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training for education professionals and state employees, they open a Pandora’s box that is sure to be fraught with litigation fueled by white fragility, fear, and gross misunderstanding. AB411, specifically, strips school districts and independent charter schools of local control and internal processing of complaints by allowing parents the ability to file civil actions against the school or district, the results of which would decrease funding for schools by ten percent. I am sorely disappointed at the Republican-led legislature for passing these bills, they are political show horses at best and underscore racist sensibilities and attitudes at their worst. The Wisconsin electorate should not be trifled with in this way. I look forward to these bills being vetoed by the governor.”
