Concerned Women for America of Kansas State Director Barbara Saldivar’s recently had an op-ed published in the Topeka Metro Post that discusses the dangers of Critical Race Theory. Read her op-ed title Producing Patriotic Americans here (page 7, top right).
(Descriptions of the events are located at the bottom.)
Critical Race Theory Exposed with Dr. Mary Byrne
Date: 6:00 p.m., Thursday, August 19
Location: The Elks Lodge No. 919, 1705 Christopher Road, Mexico, MO 65265
Contact: Jennifer Gore 573-473-0079
Date: 9:30 a.m., Saturday, August 21
Location: Heritage Bible Church, 301 Droste Road, St. Charles, MO 63301
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 23
Updated Location: Eagles No. 3775, 321 North Spring Street, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 24
Location: Historic Post Office, 204 East Main St., West Plains, MO 65775
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 6:30 p.m., Monday, August 30
Location: Wallace Center, 325 Harwood Avenue, Lebanon, MO 65536
Contact: Karen Nixon 417-322-5918
This event is hosted by the Lebanon Tea Party
Date: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 2
Location: Church of the Word, 801 Hawkins Road, Fenton, MO 63026
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 16
Location: Convergence Point, 4220 S. Hocker Drive, Independence, MO 64055
Contact: Shelley Lowery 417-861-9646
Date: 9:30 a.m., Saturday, September 25
Location: Mannah Fellowship Church, 17617 Route 291, Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Protecting Young Minds Online Act with Alissa Johnson
Date: 6:30 p.m., Friday, August 13
Location: First State Community Bank, 1022 Highway 47, Warrenton, MO 63383
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 9:30 a.m., Saturday, August 14
Location: Pillar Foundation, 15820 Clayton Road, Ellisville, MO 63011
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Date: 7 p.m., Thursday, September 2
Location: Granny Schaffer’s Restaurant, 2728 North Range Line Road, Joplin, MO 64801
There is an optional dinner at 6 p.m. at the guest’s expense, in the Trolley Room.
Contact: Bev Ehlen 314-608-0168
Update on All Things Israel with Jon Bierman
Date: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, September 9
Location: Convergence Point, 4220 S. Hocker Drive, Independence, MO 64055
Contact: Shelley Lowery 417-861-9646
Event Descriptions:
Critical Race Theory Exposed with Dr. Mary Byrne, Ed.D.
Dr. Byrne’s presentation will explain how current events, most notably the recent violence ignited by claims of systemic racism, are grounded in critical race theory; and how critical race theory is grounded in Karl Marx’s writing instructing followers how to start a revolution in a nation.
Please plan to attend to find out what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is, why it is very concerning for our public schools, and what you can do to protect the children in your community.
Dr. Byrne’s presentation will reveal how almost two centuries of Marxism have infiltrated the U.S. government, the law, churches, the military, and education. She will explain how there is a current concerted effort to indoctrinate Missouri school children by instilling the Critical Race Theory curriculum into the public school system.
Dr. Mary Byrne, Ed.D., is a national speaker and co-founding member of Missouri Coalition Against Common Core. She has an M.A. in special education and an M.Ed. in curriculum and instructional design, and a doctorate in special education from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Protecting Young Minds Online Act with Alissa Johnson
Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Missouri invites you to a presentation by CWA of Missouri’s Legislative Liaison Alissa Johnson, on the Protect Young Minds Online Act (PYMOA).
Alissa leads the CWA of Missouri legislative team at the Missouri State Capitol advocating for the passage of PYMOA – legislation that will require internet service providers in the state to add a filter to protect children from viewing pornography/obscenity online.
More than forty years ago, Missouri lawmakers created a Missouri statute that would make furnishing pornographic material to minors a Class A misdemeanor. The statute has never been updated to include the internet. Presently, minors are accessing pornography/obscenity via the internet on their cell phones, home computers, friends’ laptops/tablets, etc. The PYMOA will help remedy this.
Update on All Things Israel with Jon Bierman
Concerned Women for America (CWA) of Missouri is excited to announce that Jon Bierman will be back with us to share what has been happening in Israel. There were a few good, calm years during the Trump Administration, but in the last eight months, things are once again erupting – from the change in Prime Ministers, the newly seated Knesset, continued threats from Hamas, and COVID-19 restrictions.
Jon has practiced law as a commercial litigator in St. Louis, first at the law firm of Gallop, Johnson & Neuman and then with Polsinelli, P.C. Bierman’s degree in history from Washington University focused on the history of the Middle East. He has a J.D., magna cum laude from Saint Louis University School of Law, 1998, and a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, 1995.
More about the event
The discussion of “All Things Israel” will include the results of the recent election. Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party were unseated after 12 years of service as Prime Minister. Netanyahu was replaced by Naphtali Bennet. Bennet assembled a fragile coalition of eight diverse political parties to attain power. He won by one vote in the Knesset vote.
Hamas recently depleted their stockpile of 4,300 Iranian supplied rockets, firing at populated areas, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. During the current “cease-fire,” Hamas reverted to launching helium balloons carrying firebombs, along the Gaza border.
The chairman of one of the Arab political parties, in the newly seated Knesset, recently declared, “Jerusalem will one day be the Capital of Palestine. Our people will cause them (Jews) to be ashamed and withdraw from these places.” This indicates the new Prime Minister will be tested as he seeks to lead the State of Israel.
Israel is leading the world in Covid-19 injections, with a goal of 100 percent citizen participation. Policies that restrict employment, activities, and travel are in place. This has been a severe blow to their lifestyle, economy, and tourism business, which is most critical to the Israeli economy.
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” –Isaiah 5:20
Critical Race Theory letter published
My letter to the editor regarding the Critical Race Theory was published in the Rapid City Journal on August 11. You may read the letter here.
Sens. Thune and Rounds oppose the “infrastructure” bill
No doubt you have been hearing much about the “infrastructure” bill being debated and rushed through Congress. Tucked into this seemingly benign bill is the Digital Equity Act, which gives special protections for sexual orientation and gender identity in broadband programs.
Senators are using non-political roads, bridges, and broadband policies as cover to promote the aggressive ideology of the Left. This so-called “infrastructure” bill does nothing less than pave a highway to enshrining radical gender ideology goals of the Equality Act into federal law.
Additionally, there is no justification for the high price tag associated with this bill. With the current national U.S. debt exceeding $28 trillion, this bill is nothing but more irresponsible, reckless spending with no end in sight.
Even though the bill passed in the Senate with 19 Republicans voting with all the Democrats, we are grateful that our South Dakota senators opposed this bill.
Please contact them and thank them.
The bill now heads to the House. We will keep you updated on the bill’s progress and any action needed when it is time for a vote.
In His service,
Linda Schauer
State Director
Concerned Women for America of South Dakota State Director Linda Schauer’s letter to the editor on the racist Critical Race Theory was recently published in the Rapid City Journal. Click here to read the article if you do not have a subscription.
What is Critical Race Theory (CRT)? CRT is a lens through which people can choose to view the world, and it presents a society in which there are two categories oppressor (white) and oppressed (non-white). CRT has grown under the false notion that it seeks to provide empathy and reconciliation for past wrongs in America. Many believe that it is an avenue to discuss injustice, history, race, and civil rights.
Supporters claim, “The movement champions many of the same concerns as the civil rights movement but places those concerns within a broader economic and historical context. It often elevates the equality principles of the Fourteenth Amendment above the liberty principles of the First Amendment.” However, CRT is the antithesis of the civil rights movement. It does not seek equality—it seeks equity. Critical Race theorists actually stand against some of Martin Luther King Junior’s founding ideas.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.
Critical Race theorists believe this concept of colorblindness in itself is racist because it “ignores” disparities toward black and brown people of color. CRT theorists believe that people should and must see color in order to combat white supremacy.
“Colorblindness neutralizes non-neutral baselines. It makes it seem like race is introduced when we think about racial disparity as if race is not already there,” – Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-pioneer in the CRT movement.
Many Christians are allowing Critical Race Theory to shape their worldview, albeit actively or passively, but there are three distinct reasons why Christians should reject CRT outright.
First, CRT teaches the sin of partiality. The theory leaves little to no room for other factors in disparities; instead, it separates based on skin color. CRT shares the fundamental belief with the concept they claim to fight against—white supremacy. Both concepts share the foundational belief that white skin is superior and, therefore, results in benefits in society. Followers of Christ are instructed to not partake in favoritism or partiality toward any group— including based on economic status, ethnicity, or race, as seen in Leviticus 19:15, 1 Timothy 5:21, and Deuteronomy 1:17.
“If you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers” (James 2:9).
The CRT lens of oppressor (white) – oppressed (non-white) offers no forgiveness to those who look like people who committed past wrongs. The theory claims that white Americans, regardless of their personal experiences, must unlearn their inherent racism and are responsible for the disparities in society. This concept imparts guilt to the guiltless. Believers should reject this as we know racism is a sin problem, not a skin problem, and we cannot justify hatred toward our fellow man (1 John 4:20).
Further, CRT states that our core identity is in our skin color rather than Christ. Christians, on the other hand, place Christ as the center and embrace all peoples because God created us all. All people are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image (Psalm 139:14). Our core identity is in Christ, not the color of our skin (2 Cor 5:17). I may be fearfully and wonderfully brown, and a brother or sister may be fearfully and wonderfully white. However, these characteristics are not our identities.
Third, CRT justifies covetousness. CRT claims to advocate for equality and equal opportunity, but, in reality, it advocates for equity and equal outcomes. Those are not the same. Equal opportunity guarantees that we are all treated the same, but equity demands that we all obtain the same success, regardless of circumstances. It encourages us to see our success in terms of my neighbors, promoting envy. If I am not as successful as my white classmate, it must be because the school is discriminating against me for being brown.
Equity is not Biblical. In Luke 12:13-15, Jesus warns us about the dangers of coveting:
“Then one from the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me.’ But He said to him, ‘Man, who
made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?’ And He said to them,
‘Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does
not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.’”
The man in the crowd assumed that Jesus would split the inheritance because of the injustice or unequal outcome, but Jesus saw it far more important to warn of the root problem of the issue—the condition of his heart. The sin of covetousness is masked under the false sense of “equality.” Christians should beware of CRT’s perhaps unintended push towards covetousness.
As British author and evangelist Campbell Morgan once said, “To divide property between covetous men is to prepare for future strife. To make men free from covetousness is to make peace.”
CRT does not teach true history, nor does it seek to unify people; rather, it reaches far into the past of American history to blame injustices on one particular group that, in reality, had nothing to do with the injustices of the past. Why would we, as believers, hold bitterness and animosity toward our white brothers and sisters who have not committed these injustices? Scripture tells us, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).
As believers, we should speak the truth in love as we pray for wisdom and boldness to speak against these social theories that go against the Gospel. Samuel Sey, author of Slow to Write, said it well, “The most tempting thing about critical race theory for me isn’t that I will sin by embracing its false Gospel. The most tempting thing about it for me is that I’ll sin by reacting against it in a manner unworthy of the Gospel.” Let us remember his words and stand against CRT in a manner worthy of our calling to be disciples of Christ.
“America is not a racist country,” said Sen. Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) as he delivered the response to President Joe Biden’s first address to Congress. He is right. Racism is not uniquely American; it is uniquely human. It is uniquely sinful. It existed before America and will live after.
The now-famous Critical Race Theory (CRT) is spreading the problem further by merely changing the assailant and the target of racism. In the name of ending discrimination, critical thinkers have managed to develop a program that is itself racist. It just flips the equation.
But the targets of CRT are varied. Ibram X. Kendi, one of the chief proponents of CRT who directs the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, has said that “In order to truly be antiracist, you also have to truly be anti-capitalist.” That is why many have rightly traced the roots of CRT to Marxism.
Thankfully, parents are waking up to this pernicious ideology, especially as it is being applied in education, and they are rising up. One Virginia mom’s video went viral, as this African American mother spoke truth to power at her local school board meeting:
WATCH Passionate #Virginia Parent at Board Meeting Calls Critical Race Theory Abusive, Racist and Discriminatory: “Look at Me” pic.twitter.com/Kk8sTkybB4
— Choice Media (@ChoiceMediatv) May 12, 2021
“In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., ‘I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they would be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.’ Now I have a dream that we will implement love, not hate, or supporting another Jim Crow’s agenda.
CRT is not an honest dialogue. It is a tactic that was used by Hitler and the Ku Klux Klan on slavery very many years ago to dumb down my ancestors— so we could not think for ourselves.
CRT is racist. It is abusive. It discriminates against one’s color. Let me educate you. An honest dialogue does not oppress. An honest dialogue does not implement hatred or injustice. It is to communicate without deceiving people.
Today we don’t need your agreement; we want action and a backbone for what we ask for today: to ban CRT. We don’t want your political advertisement to divide our children or belittle them. Think twice before you indoctrinate such racist theories.
You cannot tell me what is or is not racist. Look at me! I had to come down here today to tell it to your face that we are coming together, and we are strong. This will not be the last greet and meet. Respectfully.
She expresses the frustration that millions of parents from all racial and cultural backgrounds are feeling.
Christians, in particular, believe Scripture which teaches us that we were all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and are all the descendants of Adam (Romans 5:12-14). We have a God Who commands us to love one another (John 13:34). A God Who loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14). Therefore, we are uniquely positioned to stand up against injustice, wherever it is found—whether in the racism of old or in the new CRT form.
Because of the strong foundation in truth we profess, we can call ourselves back to that eternal truth when we fail to live up to it. That is how the great abolitionists of old were able to bring about the lasting progress we see today. Here is how Fredrick Douglass expressed it in a speech he delivered in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852:
You profess to believe “that, of one blood, God made all nations of men to dwell on the face of all the earth,” and hath commanded all men, everywhere to love one another; yet you notoriously hate, (and glory in your hatred,) all men whose skins are not colored like your own. You declare, before the world, and are understood by the world to declare, that you “hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; and are endowed by their Creator with certain, inalienable rights; and that, among these are, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;” and yet, you hold securely, in a bondage, which according to your own Thomas Jefferson, “is worse than ages of that which your fathers rose in rebellion to oppose,” a seventh part of the inhabitants of your country.
So yes, let us fight racism and injustice wherever we find it. And in that spirit, we must resist this new racist CRT ideology.
We commend the states that are already taking action against it and encourage all our members to communicate with their state representatives to make sure they are aware of the pernicious nature of CRT ideology.
Let us resist the forces that insist on dividing us and further aggravating the wounds of our past racism and let us fight together for unity and true diversity in Christ.
