Newly elected Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears went toe-to-toe with a CNN host who said that Critical Race Theory was not taught in schools, saying that it has been woven into the curriculum for years.
On Sunday morning, Dana Bash quizzed Sears - the first woman the first woman to become Lt. Governor and first woman of color elected to a statewide office in Virginia - on CNN's State of the Union.
At one point during the interview, Bash said that CRT was not being taught in schools, at which point Sears interrupted her, saying: 'No, no, no it is part of the curriculum.'
She continued: 'It's weaved in and out of the curriculum. In 2015, former governor, who was just defeated, McAuliffe, his state board of education had information on how to teach it, so it's weaved in. So you know, it's semantics, but it's weaved in.'
Critical Race Theory was a decisive issue in the recent Governor's race between Glenn Youngkin and Democrate Terry McAuliffe, with outraged parents fed up with the state's woke school boards who don't want their children to be taught that they're bad or good depending on their race.
The use of critical race theory, or CRT, in education has been criticized for its message that the US is built on racism with skin color determining the social, economic, and political differences between each.
Advocates say its teaching is necessary to underline how deeply racism pervades society, critics say it is divisive and paints everyone as a victim or oppressor, with multiple Virginia school board meetings hitting national headlines after parents were filmed clashing with staff over the decision to teach it.
Republican newcomer and now elected Governor Glenn Youngkin pledged to ban CRT, seizing on the discontent of parents who had grown agitated after the Loudon County school board announced a $6million 'equity-training' program that parents associated with CRT.
Meanwhile, Democratic contender Terry McAuliffe, whose administration Sears accused of having information on how to teach CRT, told parents not to influence what schools teach their children.
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CNN host Dana Bash questioned Lt Governor-elect Winsome Sears, the first woman to become Lt Governor and first woman of color elected to a statewide office in Virginia, on what she thought was the best way to approach race in American classrooms
Although there is no evidence that CRT is taught in American K-12 classrooms, the theory was a decisive issue in the Virginia gubernatorial elections. Sears' ticket mate and now elected Governor Glenn Youngkin (left) pledged to ban CRT, while defeated Democratic contender Terry McAuliffe (right), whose administration Sears accused of having information on how to teach CRT, told parents not to influence what schools teach their children
'What we want to say and what governor-elect Youngkin has said is that all of history must be taught, the good, the bad and the ugly because what we learn from history, Dana, is that we don't learn from history and we continue to repeat the same mistakes,' Sears went on to say during the CNN segment.
The new Lt. Governor also promised an education system that represents 'all people.'
'My God, when did education become a bad word among black people? No. We are going to have a good education system,' she said.
'No, we are going to have a good education system. It's going to represent all people. And I'm going to help see that through. Education lifted my father out of poverty when he came to America with only $1.75. Education lifted me because I have to find my own way in this world, and education will lift all of us.'
The tight Youngkin-McAuliffe race took a turn after the Republican newcomer pledged to ban CRT.
'Our schools are teaching our kids what to think as opposed to how to think. We're going to go in on day one and re-establish excellence in schools,' Youngkin said during an interview with Sean Hannity before the election.
Loudon County, a Democratic stronghold in northern Virginia, became the focal point of debate over woke policies by school boards across the country.
In April, the county announced that it planned to allocate more than $6 million to 'equity training' which was met with strong opposition by some residents.
Parents claimed that training was part of a pro-CRT push which would lead to students seeing themselves as victims or oppressors, depending on their race.
Protests then reignited in September, when the school board voted 6-3 in favor of beginning a study into whether it would be appropriate to give reparations to black people after it previously ignored a landmark desegregation ruling.
Virginia's Lt. Governor-elect Winsome Sears, left, meets with Senate Clerk Susan Schaar at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021
