Photos: Office Of Rep. Bowman\YouTube Screenshots
WASHINGTON, DC — Wednesday, in a hearing with the Committee on Education and Workforce’s Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education focused on antisemitism in K-12 schools, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (NY-16) questioned K-12 school leaders about the importance of teaching Jewish history and called out his Republican colleagues for refusing to fight hate in all its forms.
In his five minute line of questioning, Congressman Bowman and the educators in attendance spoke about improving Jewish history curricula and educating students and society about all forms of hate in order to fight them collectively. He also pointed out the hypocrisy of his Republican colleagues who refuse to address anti-Black racism in Congress and other forms of hate, like Islamophobia, in K-12 schools.
Watch his full remarks here.
On teaching Jewish history:
“Jewish history didn’t start with the Holocaust, it’s an entire history of persecution and our kids need to learn about it. There’s also a point in history where the Jewish people and Muslims and Christians lived together in harmony in the Middle East and different parts of the world. And I want to suggest you teach that as part of the curriculum as well.”
On racism and hatred in Congress:
“I work in Congress. When you go in the rotunda and you look at American history, you see colonists coming in and taking over America from the Native Americans. There is no reference to the Black people who built this country in our rotunda, but we’re scolding you about teaching hate. You know how many Black statues there are in the Capitol? Three. You know how many Confederate statues there are in the Capitol? Twelve. I work in an institution that teaches hate.”
On Republicans attacking educators:
“I’ve been very disturbed by some of the language that has come from the other side of the aisle, language around teaching hate. Our teachers in our schools are not teaching hate, the majority of them. When I say majority, I mean 99.9%. I’m a former educator in New York City schools, I have never seen that. Teachers make mistakes. And teachers need to be educated and disciplined when necessary, when they do make those mistakes…We must fight hate in all its forms. At the same time, I have members of Congress talking about teachers teaching hate. None of them have an education background, by the way. It’s all about teachers teaching hate.”
