Rally to Stop CRT in Pennsylvania Schools to Be Held at State Capitol

Dr. Joseph Green, St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church, with other ministers, leads a prayer gathering at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., June 6, 2020. Mark Pynes/PennLive

A rally to stop critical race theory in public schools will be held on the Pennsylvania Capitol steps in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on July 14 at 11 a.m., two hours before a planned Pennsylvania Board of Education meeting is scheduled to begin.

The Board of Education canceled its planned in-person meeting and will now be holding a Zoom conference instead. Event organizer Lois Kaneshiki of the group Stop Common Core, CRT, & Action Civics in Pennsylvania told The Epoch Times that she believes the Board of Education made this decision to shut out the voice of parents who oppose critical race theory from attending the in-person meeting. Kaneshiki is a former Pennsylvania school board member.

Speaking at the event and press conference are Laura Zorc, Director of Education Reform at FreedomWorks Foundation, and Dr. Joseph L. Green Jr. of St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church and founder of the 2019 Movement. Attorney Marc Scaringi will be speaking at the event about his legal efforts to combat critical race theory in the public school system. Also scheduled to speak are Pennsylvania state Rep. Barbara Gleim, a Republican sponsor of HB 1532, an act that would ban the teaching of critical race theory in Pennsylvania schools, and Jonathan Butcher from the Heritage Foundation.

Pennsylvania state Reps. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon) and Barbara Gleim (R-Cumberland), the sponsors of HB 1532. Pennsylvania House Republican Caucus

The Teaching Racial and Universal Equality Act

Pennsylvania state Reps. Russ Diamond and Barbara Gleim recently introduced HB 1532, the Teaching Racial and Universal Equality Act (TRUE Act), an act “providing for restrictions on racist and sexist concepts, for contracts, for penalty and for private cause of action.”

Bill sponsor Diamond provided insight of the legislation to The Epoch Times, stating, “This Marxist agenda, whether it’s called critical race theory, social-emotional learning, or any other name—is little more than a direct attempt to undermine everything that makes America great. Identifying and categorizing students by their inherent traits, and treating them differently, or having them treat each other differently as a result does not serve the needs of our Commonwealth.”

“While it is important to teach students the unvarnished truth about race throughout American history, our schools need to focus instead on how far we’ve come in providing for equality under the law. The purveyors of this agenda are institutionalizing the soft bigotry of low expectations and no Pennsylvania parent, teacher, school administrator, or legislator should stand for it. My legislation would defund any school which includes this anti-American tripe as part of its curriculum.”

Diamond said the next step for the bill is to get an education committee hearing or vote.

Gleim is expected to speak of her legislative efforts to combat critical race theory at the rally. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was cited by Gleim in a memo on the legislation that seeks to ban the teaching of critical race theory in Pennsylvania schools. On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King stated, “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.”

Gleim concluded the memo by stating, “Critical race theory further divides us by making the immutable traits of race and gender a prime factor in how we view others—exactly the opposite of Dr. King’s dream.” Gleim also gave a personal salutation in commemoration of Dr. King during MLK Jr. Day in January.

‘Speak Truth to Power’: Dr. Joseph Green Describes Marxism

Dr. Joseph L. Green Jr. confirmed that he will be speaking at the Pennsylvania rally. A proud father and husband, Dr. Green has an accomplished background. Five years ago he started the 2019 Movement, a movement aimed at racial and cultural reconciliation. He is a facilitator of Cultural Intelligence Training. In 2018, Dr. Green was congressionally appointed to the federal 400 Years of African American History Commission and served as its first chairman. He is the head pastor of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and is the Pennsylvania chaplain for Capitol Ministries. He is the author of several books including “Kingdom Business,” a book that discusses race, religion, and politics from a Biblical perspective, “The 2019 Movement,” and “The Power of The Original Church.”

Dr. Green spoke with The Epoch Times at length, eloquently describing in detail the history of critical theory, which he said is the basis for critical race theory, and the tactics of the elite who wish to indoctrinate our society with Marxism. Essentially, our public schools have been taken over by Marxists that have embedded a radical ideology into public academia dating back decades to the Frankfurt school in Germany in the 1930s.

During the conversation, he spoke highly of the United States of America being the second greatest nation, with heaven being the first. He also explained how the labels of racist, transphobic, and others are being weaponized by the radical elite. Dr. Green acknowledged the sin of slavery in America, but more importantly, he brought attention to the history of the civil war and dismantling of slavery and racism in the United States, and he highlighted much of the social progress that has been made in America.

Critical race theory in general is a tool for Marxists to weaponize the idea of racism and other social issues using the concepts of “oppressor” and “the oppressed” as a way to control society. They seek to erode or dismantle the traditions of American culture and to remove the freedoms of our civilized society because free markets are a threat to the elite who seek to control the masses.

Dr. Green made the comparison of the COVID-19 virus being used by the Marxist elite to impose restrictions on the general population, thus enabling billionaires to profit at record levels while small businesses were being closed down. Religious worshipers were persecuted by the state for violating restrictions, while rioters and looters nationwide destroyed cities unchecked, live on social media video feeds for the public to see. Meanwhile, a professional colleague of Dr. Green who originally researched the development of mRNA vaccines was banned on social media after speaking about it. Dr. Green alluded to the censorship of his own voice occurring on social media, mentioning how many people have told him they are not seeing his online content. He also mentioned the tactics being used by Marxists to create a government-dependent class by offering universal income, government stimulus checks, and unemployment bonuses.

Dr. Green acknowledged that many Americans have become discouraged by the pandemic, racial divisions, and the overall impact of Marxism on our society and schools, but said: “we must continue to speed awareness and speak truth to power.”

Parental Rights Versus Special Interest Groups

Laura Zorc of FreedomWorks Foundation also confirmed that she will be speaking at the event and described to The Epoch Times her ongoing efforts in education reform, which she began as a concerned mother when she was initially spreading awareness about common core curriculum. She has now successfully developed her solo effort into a national organization.

Zorc’s goal is now to help parents around the country who are frustrated with teachers unions, school boards, and district administrations regarding the ongoing school shutdowns and the politicizing of masks and vaccinations for children in public schools. Parents in Pennsylvania are also outraged by new instructional material the Department of Education has published online. The new resources on its website describe profile categories sorted into 8 labeled levels of whiteness, and contain instructions to combat “white privilege.” Another section on the state website promotes links on ethnic studies that lead to support for Black Lives Matter.

Because the legislation to ban critical race theory in Pennsylvania faces an unclear future, Zorc believes it would be more effective for parents to persuade the Pennsylvania State Board of Education to hear out the voice of the people on the matter, and reconsider its stance on critical race theory and other similar curriculums.

The issue has caused a divide in many communities. Some teachers are protesting the newly passed state laws that ban critical race theory or diversity curriculums, and more than 5,100 teachers have signed a pledge saying they will continue to teach critical race theory and plan to violate the new laws. The American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten recently said the union is preparing litigation and has a legal defense fund to defend teachers who break the new laws. Weingarten promised to fight “culture warriors” who attempt to limit lessons on racism and discrimination by labeling it as critical race theory.

Zorc said the issue is a matter of parental rights versus the funding of special interest groups. She said in some cases school boards initially hadn’t done their homework and are now rethinking the curriculum after swift backlash from parents. In other cases, the government has incentivized school boards to adopt portions of critical race theory.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Education proposed two curriculum priorities for schools applying for grants through the federal American History and Civics Education programs. According to freedomworks.org, the first priority mandates schools “incorporate teaching and learning practices that reflect the diversity, identities, and experiences of all students” and “create inclusive, supportive, and identity-safe learning environments.” The second priority asks for the curriculum to include a strong focus on “news literacy” as a means to “meaningfully participate in our democracy and distinguish fact from misinformation.”

Zorc provided a link to a wokeness dictionary resource (pdf) prepared by her organization to spread awareness of the truth to families about what their children are learning in school under these new curriculums. To conclude, she reiterated that the issue at its core was a matter of parental rights regarding their children’s education, versus the funding of special interest groups which have over overwhelmed the school boards and district administrations.

Marc Scaringi speaks during an anti-lockdown rally on Capitol steps in Harrisburg, Pa., on May 15, 2020. Sean Guan/The Epoch Times

Protecting Seniors and Children While Combating Critical Race Theory

Marc Scaringi, Esq., a former executive assistant to the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, is a Georgetown University undergraduate, and a Widener University School of Law alumnus with a Juris Doctorate. He also confirmed with The Epoch Times that he will be speaking at the rally.

Scaringi oversaw legal challenges brought to the Supreme Court over the Pennsylvania governor and health secretary’s executive orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he spoke of in a powerful speech that drew applause and cheers from a large crowd assembled on the Capitol steps during last year’s anti-lockdown demonstrations. Scaringi detailed the missteps of the Pennsylvania Health Secretary’s treatment of senior citizens in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, Scaringi will again speak on the steps of the Capitol to defend families and children across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

In Cumberland County, Scaringi recently confronted South Middleton School District after they refused to hear criticism of critical race theory from teachers and parents. A district teacher, Andrew Fisher, was issued a cease and desist order from the school solicitor threatening him with legal action for attempting to communicate his objection of critical race theory to the school board and administration.

Scaringi published his opinion on the matter, implying that it appeared the district was attempting to silence Fisher simply because they disagreed with his objections. Upon intervention with the solicitor by Scaringi, Fisher’s rights were restored, therefore allowing the opinions of the school teacher and other parents to again be heard by the school board and district administration. “Students and parents have the right, protected by the First Amendment, to express their objection to the inclusion of CRT into their curriculum. You have rights,” Scaringi said.

This week, Scaringi issued a warning to parents in the Camp Hill School District where he is a taxpayer and parent of four district students. In a blog post on social media, he wrote: “Attention Camp Hill School District (CHSD) Parents: CHSD has convened an Equity Advocacy Council to promote the introduction of the racist and sexist ‘educational equity,’ which is a version of Critical Race Theory, ideology/pedagogy into the curriculum, policies, and practices of CHSD.”

Scaringi represented Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. in legal challenges brought in the United States Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to attempt to ensure free, fair, and equal elections. Scaringi successfully challenged Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman’s blocking of certain Pennsylvanians from commenting on his Twitter account on the grounds it violated their right to free speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Scaringi also supervised the successful challenge, up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, of the retroactive application of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.