“I don’t believe in systemic racism.”

-Mark Robinson, candidate for Lt. Governor

To be exact, those words are within this larger context from a virtual debate between Robinson and his opponent, Democrat Yvonne Holly aired by Spectrum News on Sept. 19th.

“I don’t believe in systemic racism. I don’t believe that systemic racism would allow two black people to be standing here running for lieutenant governor or allow a black man to be elected president for two terms.”

“Systemic racism is not the problem. The problem is we have is far too many communities ruled by lawlessness.”

In a year of the Black Lives Matter movement, the 1619 project, and “white fragility,” it seems rather hard to look at Robinson’s words and agree with them.

This teacher believes that there is systemic racism.

That president he referred to as having two terms also talks about systemic racism.

It is your right to believe what you want, but I do not want a person who might sit on a state board of education proclaiming that systemic racism does not exist.

Furthermore, that same person would have a voice in constructing social studies curriculum and how it is to be presented to students for at least four years.