'Do You Agree... That Babies Are Racist?': Ted Cruz Questions Jackson About 'Antiracist Baby' Book

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'Do You Agree... That Babies Are Racist?': Ted Cruz Questions Jackson About 'Antiracist Baby' Book

At today's Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) asked whether she agrees with the book, "Antiracist Baby" by Dr. Ibrim X. Kendi, which is in the library at a school on whose board she sits. 

You can watch the complete interaction between Ketanji Brown Jackson & Sen. Cruz at the end of this blog, but before this, we will show you a few shots of the conversation between them here.

Sen. Cruz: So Judge Jackson, all of us will agree that no one should be discriminated against because of race. When you just testified a minute ago that you didn't know if critical race theory was taught in 12, I will confess I find that statement a little hard to reconcile with the public record because if you look at the Georgetown day school's curriculum, it is filled and overflowing with critical race theory. Do you agree with this book that is being taught to kids that babies are racist?

Judge Jackson replied to this question of Sen Cruz and said: 

Senator, I do not believe that any child should be made to feel as though they are racist ortho they are not valued ortho they are less than or that they are victims, that they are oppressors. I don't believe in any of that. But I will say is that when you asked me whether or not this was taught in schools critical race theory, my understanding is that critical race theory as an academic theory is taught in law schools and to the extent that you were asking the question, I understood you to be addressing public schools. Georgetown day school, just like the religious school that Justice Amy Coney Barrett was on the board of, is a private school. 

Sen. Cruz: So you agree critical race theory is taught at George town race school? 

Judge Jackson: I don't know because the board does not control the curriculum. The board does not focus on. That was that's not what we do as board members. So I'm actually not sure. 

Sen. Cruz: I will note that the board is chaired by professor Fairfax, your college roommate who introduced you yesterday. So the two of you serve on the board together. Another book that is on the summer reading for third through fifth grade is a book called stamp for kids again by Ibram Kendi. I read the entirety of the book and I will say it is an astonishing book on page 33, it asks the question: can we send white people back to Europe? That's on 33. That's what's being given to 8 and 9 years old. It also on page 115 says the idea that we should pretend not to see racism as connected to the idea that we should pretend not to see color. It's called colored blindness. Skipping ahead, here's what's wrong with this. Its ridiculous skin color is something we all absolutely see. And are you comfortable with these ideas being taught to children as young as 4 in respect to the first book as young as 8 and 9 in respect to the second book? 

Judge Jackson: Senator Cruz, I have not reviewed any of those books, any of those ideas. They don't come up in my work as a judge, which I am respectfully here to address. 

And the conversation continues, you can see the complete conversation below: