Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters on Thursday told the audience at a public forum that teachers should give lessons on the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, a horrific pogrom in which as many as 300 Black residents of the city were murdered by a white mob, but they should leave out that the victims were targeted for the color of their skin, the New Republic reports.
“That doesn’t mean you don’t judge the actions of individuals. Oh, you can. Absolutely, historically, you should. ‘This was right. This was wrong. They did this for this reason.’ But to say it was inherent in that because of their skin is where I say that is critical race theory. You’re saying that race defines a person,” Walters said responding question about how teaching about the massacre doesn’t violate his ban on critical race theory, which was never taught in K-12 schools prior to his taking office.