Mississippi Lawmakers Pass Civil Rights Education Measure
by Jim Brown
March 14, 2006
(AgapePress) - - The Mississippi Legislature has passed a measure that makes the history of the struggle of blacks and others for civil rights a regular part of school curriculums across the state. The bill authorizes the state board of education to make civil rights and human rights education a part of the K-12 curriculum instruction in Mississippi.Democratic Senator Gray Tollison's measure also establishes a Civil Rights Education Commission to help with managing resources and to inventory historical civil rights exhibits. State Senator Alan Nunnelee, who serves on the Senate Education Committee, says the legislation is necessary because the struggle for civil rights is integral to Mississippi history.
Nunnelee views civil rights as a Christian cause. "I think Jesus was one of the first advocates of rights for women and for minorities," he says, "and that, as Christians, it's important that we recognize the fundamental human rights in every man and woman as a child of God."
Unfortunately, the senator notes, "in Mississippi, for many years, we did not do that" and a failure to recognize these truths regarding the intrinsic value, dignity, and equality of all human beings as God's children has played a significant role in the state's history. Nevertheless, he says, one thing Mississippi can do with this unfortunate aspect of its history "is learn from it and make sure we do not repeat it."
Students need to be taught the stories of civil rights heroes like Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Medgar Evers, Nunnelee contends. "There are a lot of brave men and women who were willing to risk their lives for basic human rights, including the right to shelter, the right to go into a public facility, and the right to vote," he says.
Although some of these stories contain dark chapters, the Republican legislator believes it is essential that they be included in the state schools' educational programs. "The struggle for civil rights is a part of Mississippi history," he says. "It may be a part that many people would just as soon ignore, but it's an important part of our history."
The newly passed legislation was recommended by the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
