An unusual, one-on-one conversation hosted by the governor on his website with a conservative civil rights activist focused on his ideas about education.
The live discussion Friday morning with Bob Woodson was titled “Hopeful America: A More Perfect Union.” Woodson, an activist since the ’60s, has been a frequent critic of those who claim slavery has an impact on why Blacks struggle today.
Lee hasn’t signaled if the talk is part of a bigger plan. But he and Woodson spoke at length about the importance of school vouchers and school choice. The conversation comes as Lee is revamping Tennessee’s program for funding public education and it follows a new law restricting how to teach race relations in schools.
Woodson has recently been a prominent figure in conservative media. He’s the editor of a book that rejects American history that focuses on slavery and systemic racism, and he criticizes what he calls “the race-grievance industry.”
He also launched a project called 1776 Unites, a response to the New York Times’ 1619 Project that traced the impact of slavery through American history.
“They are saying the 70% of out-of-wedlock births in the Black community today, the high unemployment, the violence, all of these are the legacy of slavery and discrimination. And the reason why these conditions were created and persist is because of systemic racism,” said Woodson. “Well, this is not true.”
Woodson doesn’t believe slavery should be taught as a systemic issue but one that’s a shortcoming of the past. He believes success stories that highlight the pros of the capitalistic society in America should be taught.
“We had 20 Blacks who were born slaves who died millionaires,” Woodson told the governor. “So, capitalism has been the principal engine that enabled Blacks to create wealth and prosper in the face of oppression.”
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