Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Tuesday took another swipe at lesson plans on social inequality — frequently and ominously mischaracterized by Republicans as critical race theory — and vowed to ban such discussions in higher education.
Patrick, one of many Republicans crusading against critical race theory, was responding to news that the faculty at the University of Texas overwhelmingly passed a resolution protecting educators’ rights to teach about race and gender issues.
“State legislative proposals seeking to limit teaching and discussions of racism and related issues have been proposed and enacted in several states, including Texas,” the resolution states. “This resolution affirms the fundamental rights of faculty to academic freedom in its broadest sense, inclusive of research and teaching of race and gender theory.”
The resolution passed on a 41-5 vote.
But in a tweet Tuesday, Patrick said he created the ironically-named Liberty Institute — a mysterious think tank planned for UT’s Austin campus — to outlaw critical race theory.
I will not stand by and let looney Marxist UT professors poison the minds of young students with Critical Race Theory. We banned it in publicly funded K-12 and we will ban it in publicly funded higher ed. That’s why we created the Liberty Institute at UT. https://t.co/2W7mb3RVuN
— Dan Patrick (@DanPatrick) February 15, 2022
Yes, you read that correctly. The Liberty Institute was created for the purpose of stifling speech. You know, as the framers of the Constitution intended. And a closer look into the institute suggests Patrick was being straightforward about its anti-democratic aims.
The Texas Tribune reported last year that the institute, which is being funded by millions of dollars from the state along with conservative donors, is ostensibly “dedicated to the study and teaching of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets.” But everyone involved has been “vague or silent about their plans when asked by faculty and student groups,” according to the newspaper.
Emails the Tribune obtained show Patrick in discussion with top university officials and conservative donors about using the institute to bring “intellectual diversity” to campus, a phrase conservative use to decry what they believe is an overwhelming presence of liberal attitudes on college campuses.
With his tweet, Patrick made clear that his aim for the institute is not to promote diverse ideas, but rather to suppress views he and his conservative partners don’t like.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.