September 29, 2020
Washington, DC
Conservatives applaud the efforts of President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and his team in ending funding for critical race theory in personnel training programs throughout the executive branch.
Critical race theory is an insidious ideology with its roots in neo-Marxism. It purports to expose and correct “unconscious racial bias” and “white privilege,” and in doing so, treats “whiteness” as a moral blight. It identifies “oppressor” racial groups and treats anyone as a member of that group as guilty by association, while members of victim groups are considered morally innocent by virtue of their skin color.
Such training goes against the foundational principles of the United States – namely that our justice system is premised on a colorblind, application of the rule of law. In America, we do not privilege or condemn individuals for immutable characteristics such as skin color. It is this commitment to the equal rights of all individuals – regardless of race, creed, or color – that makes America’s commitment to liberty the truest in the world.
Critical race theory propounds the rights of “groups” as opposed to the rights of individuals. This is a pernicious and dangerous ideology that formed the basis for slavery. It should be routed out where it stands.
Unfortunately, critical race theory is not just found in government personnel training programs. It has made its way into our public schools and universities as well. The New York Times has given it a platform in its historically erroneous 1619 Project, which claims 1619, the year that the first slaves were brought to America, as the country’s true founding.
To combat this, President Trump has announced his 1776 Commission to provide a historically accurate account of how, when, and why America was founded – one that grapples with America’s imperfections, while remaining true to the foundational principles to which our country aspires: equality, liberty, and justice for all. We encourage schools to adopt patriotic education that respects both the good and the bad in our history, teaches civics, and strives to mold citizens who will pursue an ever more perfect union.
We commend President Trump and the OMB team for taking the steps necessary to ensure that the damaging ideology of critical race theory no longer pervades the executive branch – including their recent Executive Order which extends this prohibition to federal contractors, as a requirement for receiving federal grants and other funding.
The battle against critical race theory is a proxy for the larger battle between those who would define America on the lie that the color of one’s skin is immutably linked to one’s worth, and those who know the truth: that America was founded on a fierce belief dignity and the equality of all – and those beliefs have made America the greatest barrier to racism and tyranny that the world has ever known.
The actions of President Trump and OMB Director Vought demonstrate courageous leadership in these critical times. We are proud to stand with them.
| The Honorable Edwin Meese III Attorney General President Ronald Reagan (1985-1988) |
Alfred S. Regnery Chairman, Conservative Action Project President, Republic Book Publishers |
| The Honorable Morton C. Blackwell President The Leadership Institute |
Kelly J. Shackelford, Esq. Chairman, CNP Action, Inc. President and CEO, First Liberty Institute |
| The Honorable Becky Norton Dunlop White House Advisor President Ronald Reagan (1981-1985) |
William L. Walton President Council for National Policy |
| The Honorable T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr. Chief Domestic Advisor President Ronald Reagan (1987-1988) |
David Bozell President ForAmerica |
| The Honorable J. Kenneth Blackwell Chairman Constitutional Congress, Inc. |
Jenny Beth Martin Chairman Tea Party Patriots Citizen Fund |
| The Honorable Jim DeMint Chairman, Conservative Partnership Institute Member, US Senate (SC 2005-2013) |
Ed Corrigan Vice Chairman, Conservative Action Project President & CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute |
| Wesley Denton Chief Operating Officer Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) |
Rachel Bovard Senior Director of Policy Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) |
| Noah Wall Vice President of Advocacy FreedomWorks |
Cleta Mitchell, Esq. Partner Foley & Lardner LLP |
| Myron Ebell Director, Center for Energy and Environment Competitive Enterprise Institute |
The Honorable Bob McEwen U.S. House of Representatives Former Member, Ohio |
| L. Brent Bozell, III Founder and President Media Research Center |
The Honorable Tony Perkins President Family Research Council |
| The Honorable Colin A. Hanna President Let Freedom Ring, Inc. |
The Honorable Dennis K. Baxley Florida State Senate, District 12 Florida Legislature |
| Star Parker President Center for Urban Renewal and Education |
James L. Martin Founder/chairman 60 Plus Association |
| Grace-Marie Turner President Galen Institute |
Jerry A. Johnson, PhD President (2013-19) National Religious Broadcasters |
| The Honorable James C. Miller III Budget Director for President Reagan (1985-1988) |
The Honorable Scott Walker CEO Young America’s Foundation |
| The Honorable Donald Paul Hodel U.S. Secretary of Energy (1982-1985) U.S. Secretary of Interior (1985-1989) |
Steve Berger Pastor Grace Chapel |
| The Honorable Charles J. Cooper Assistant Attorney General, President Ronald Reagan Cooper & Kirk, PLLC |
Michelle Easton President Clare Boothe Luce Center for Conservative Women |
| Tim Macy Chairman Gun Owners of America |
Michael Horowitz CEO 21st Century Initiatives, Former General Counsel, OMB |
| Ambassador Henry F. Cooper President Reagan’s Chief Defense and Space Negotiator Former SDI Director |
Rod D. Martin Founder & CEO The Martin Organization, Inc. |
| Sherri R. Martin Executive Vice President The Martin Organization, Inc. |
Haley E. Martin President The Martin Foundation |
| Shawn A. Mitchell Former National Chaplain National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Christina Murphy Lusk Campaign for the American Future |
| Guillermo J. Aragon Senior Partner Corbere Partners |
Lewis K. Uhler Founder and President National Tax Limitation Committee |
| William H. Shaker CEO Washington Marketing Group |
H. Sharayah Colter Owner Colter & Co. |
| Mark Ballard President Northeastern Baptist College |
Dr. Chris Hughes Founder and Chairman The Citizens for America Foundation |
| Nathan Cole Vice President Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary |
Stoney Benfield Senior Pastor, Prospect Baptist Church Albemarle, North Carolina |
| Dr. Chris Thompson Pastor, South River Baptist Church Statesville, North Carolina |
Z. Scott Colter Executive Director, Sandy Creek Foundation Co-Founder, Conservative Baptist Network |
| Brad Jurkovich Senior Pastor, First Bossier Co-Founder and Spokesman, Conservative Baptist Network |
Corey Smith Senior Pastor, Heritage Baptist Church Shreveport, Louisiana |
| Lewis Richerson, Ph.D. Lead Pastor, Woodlawn Baptist Church Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
Dr. Robert A. Pearle Senior Pastor, Birchman Baptist Church Fort Worth, Texas |
| Tom Hatley Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church Global Outreach Center Rogers, Arkansas |
Bill Logan Senior Pastor, Immanuel Baptist Church Ridgecrest, California |
| Ronnie Rogers Senior Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church Norman, Oklahoma |
Blake Gideon Senior Pastor, Edmond’s First Baptist Church Edmond, Oklahoma |
| Sam Bunnell Associate Director Sandy Creek Foundation |
Dr. John C. Eastman Salvatori Professor, Chapman University Fowler School of Law Senior Fellow, The Claremont Institute |
| The Honorable Gary L. Bauer President American Values |
Richard F. Norman Founder and President The Richard Norman Company |
| Khadine Ritter, Esq. President Eagle Forum of Ohio |
Dr. Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D. Founder and CEO CorsiNation.com |
| Joan Holt Lindsey President Lindsey Communications |
Lee Beaman CEO Beaman Automotive Group |
| Karen England Executive Director Capitol Resource Institute |
Robert Keith Fischer Meeting Coordinator Conservatives of Faith |
| Jon Schweppe Director of Policy and Government Affairs American Principles Project |
Kay R. Daly President Coalition for a Fair Judiciary |
| Terry Schilling Executive Director American Principles Project |
Eric Georgatos Executive Producer America Can We Talk? americacanwetalk.org |
| Saulius “Saul” Anuzis President 60 Plus Association |
Nancy Schulze Founder, President Republican Congressional Wives Speakers |
| Willes K. Lee President National Federation of Republican Assemblies |
Kevin Freeman Founder NSIC Institute |
| Andresen Blom President Hawaiian Values |
Corey Smith Pastor Heritage Baptist Church |
| Tim LeFever Chairman Capitol Resource Institute |
Justin Danhof General Counsel National Center for Public Policy Research |
| Paavo Ensio Chairman Universal Minerals Group |
Colleen Holcomb President Eagle Forum |
| Judson Phillips Founder Tea Party Nation |
Floyd Brown Publisher The Western Journal |
| The Honorable Peter Thomas Chairman The Conservative Caucus |
Paul Gessing President Rio Grande Foundation |
| Anne Schlafly Cori Chairman Eagle Forum |
Jay Mount President MDS Communications Corporation |
| Penna Dexter Co-host Point of View Radio |
Gary Marx President The Concord Fund |
| Chad Connelly President Faith Wins |
Joe Knott Partner Knott & Boyle PLLC |
| Dr. Paige Patterson President Sandy Creek Foundation |
Richard D. Hayes Partner Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP |
| C. Preston Noell III President Tradition, Family, Property, Inc |
Eunie Smith President Emeritus Eagle Forum |
| Mario Navarro da Costa Director, Washington Bureau Tradition, Family, Property |
Kielle C. Horton President The Lindsey Foundation |
| Susan Carleson Chairman/ CEO Carleson Center for Welfare Reform |
Ronnie W. Rogers Senior Pastor Trinity Baptist Church |
| Tim Wildmon President American Family Association |
Seton Motley President Less Government |
| Richard Rounsavelle Trustee Media Research Center |
Amapola Hansberger President Legal Immigrants for America |
| Jeremy Cerone CEO EliteSafe Inc. |
Sean Noble President American Encore |
| Dr. Phil Roberts International Director Global Ministries Foundation |
Rob Chambers Vice President AFA Action |
| Richard Manning President Americans for Limited Government |
Elaine Donnelly President Center for Military Readiness |
| Rob Gluskin Managing Partner Gluskin Investment Partners |
J. Christian Adams President Public Interest Legal Foundation |
| Trent England Executive Director Save Our States |
Father Frank Pavone National Director Priests for Life |
| Nathan Cole Vice President Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary |
Randy M. Long Founder Long Business Advisors, LLC |
| Melissa Kaye Ortiz Founder & Principal, Able Americans Administrator/Blogger, DCBelleonWheels.com |
Ron Robinson President Young America’s Foundation |
| Dr. Jeff Schreve Pastor First Baptist Church Texarkana, Texas |
Peggy Dau Representative IranAliveMinistries |
| E.C. Sykes General Partner – Aslan Ventures Republican Nominee – NC Secretary of State |
The Honorable Mike Hill Representative Florida State House |
| Debbie Wuthnow President iVoterGuide |
William W. Pascoe, III Board Member Tea Party Patriots Action |
| Roxanne Phillips Member, Executive Committee Council for National Policy |
Javier Chavez International Executive Director Amistad Cristiana International |
| Randall Zeigler Student Pastor First Baptist Church Bossier |
Dr. Mark H. Ballard President Northeastern Baptist College |
| Kelvin J. Cochran CEO Mountain Moving Men |
Robert D. Thompson Former Administrator The Weyrich Lunch (1999-2016) |
| Lorine Spratt Executive Assistant First Baptist Bossier |
Matthew Tyrmand Board of Directors Project Veritas |
| Dr. Rick W. Scarborough President Recover America Now |
Dr. E. Calvin Beisner Founder, President, and National Spokesman Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation |
| Dr. Dorothy Patterson Vice President Sandy Creek Foundation |
Ralph Benko Chairman The Capitalist League |
| Glenn P. Story Co-founder & President Patriot Mobile |
Dr. Anthony George Senior Pastor First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia |
| Dr. Allen Unruh President National Abstinence Clearinghouse |
Craig Shirley Reagan Biographer Presidential Historian |
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