How Iowa’s Anti-Critical Race Theory Bills Impact Students of Color (VIDEO)

Apr 20, 2022
11:26 AM

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

In February, news broke of the latest Republican effort to control how race and history are taught in schools. A bill, H.F. 2177, would require cameras in almost every K-12 classroom in the state of Iowa, allowing parents to view livestreams and thus monitor instruction.

The move is being touted as an effort to give more control to parents on what their children are being taught in public schools about race and U.S. history. Critics describe it as an intimidation tactic against teachers and a crackdown on critical race theory being taught in schools.

In this video, journalist and decolonial educator Constanza Eliana Chinea gives a deep dive into the bill and how it affects Black and Brown people in the state and beyond.

CORRECTION: H.F. 2177 failed to advance in the Iowa legislature but conservatives have vowed to try again next year. Also, the video describes three Christian publishers as “the three most popular textbook sources in the nation.” In fact, the three most popular publishers are McGraw-Hill, Prentice Hall, and Norton.

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Constanza Eliana Chinea is a Puerto Rican activist and educator whose work focuses on anti-racism and decolonization. Instagram: @eliana.chinea