A bipartisan bill sponsored by Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland, and Stephen Kinsey, D-Philadelphia, have called GOP legislators’ bluff, introducing legislation that would require the teaching of King’s Civil Rights Movement, particularly from 1954 to 1968. In addition to bipartisan sponsors, the bill has attracted support from both Republican and Democrat co-sponsors.

“The teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effected powerful change during the Civil Rights Movement,” Rothman and Kinsey wrote in their legislative memorandum. “By following the principles of non-violence, Dr. King was able to lead a movement that changed the hearts of people and the policies of a nation.As an important, effective, and part of our nation’s history, the children of our Commonwealth deserve to learn about Dr. King’s principles of non-violence and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole.”

House Bill 2204 was introduced Dec. 22 and referred to the House Education Committee. The committee’s next meeting has not yet been scheduled.

The bill is interesting given state Republican lawmakers’ backing of House Bill 132, which would include in state law that no Pennsylvania school district, public postsecondary institution, or state or local government entity shall teach that any race or sex is superior to another, that any individual based on their race or sex is inherently racist or sexist, or that any individual should receive favorable treatment or be discriminated against based on their race or sex.

Submitted Photo Rep. Stephen Kinsey urges all colleagues to support a package of bills the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus is rolling out to achieve systemic equity.

Diamond’s legislative memorandum also specifically mentions Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech as an example of the lessons Pennsylvania’s school children should be learning.

“In the nearly six decades since Dr. King’s speech, Pennsylvania has made great strides in securing civil rights equality for people of all races, as well as women’s rights. 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,” Diamond wrote.

Rothman, Kinsey and House Bill 2204’s co-sponsors propose starting instruction on the Civil Rights Movement during the 2023-24 school year as part of social studies courses. The section would include teaching of Jim Crow-era laws in the United States, including the “separate but equal” doctrine, leadership of non-violent resistance to Jim Crow-era laws championed by Dr. Martin Luther King, passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, 1960 and 1964 and passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The legislation states all curriculum and curriculum guidelines developed by the state Education Department be age-appropriate.

“This legislation serves as a powerful reminder that our children deserve to learn of the past in order to create a better future, and we ask that you join us in sponsoring this important legislation,” Kinsey and Rothman wrote in their legislative memorandum.