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Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott was harshly criticized after he commemorated the late Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy in a Twitter post published on the federal holiday that bears King's name.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal, state and local law.
King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights and other civil rights. His actions—particularly as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)—achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
While Abbott claimed King's "vision of liberty [and] opportunity for all... burns brightly in Texas," he was quickly called out for hypocrisy because Texas Republicans in 2021 passed a bill that allows public schools to exclude the Civil Rights movement, women’s suffrage and the history of Indigenous peoples in history courses.
You can see Abbott's post below.
\u201cDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\u2019s vision of liberty & opportunity for all inspired our nation. \n \nToday, we honor his life & legacy. \n \nThe beacon of hope he lit burns brightly in Texas.\u201d— Greg Abbott (@Greg Abbott) 1673877632
When Republicans passed the highly contentious Senate Bill 3 in July 2021, civil rights and educational organizations immediately opposed its removal of requirements to teach “the history of White supremacy, including but not limited to the institution of slavery, the eugenics movement, and the Ku Klux Klan, and the ways in which it is morally wrong.”
The bill served as an addendum to previously passed legislation in the state Abbott signed into law which fundamentally altered how current events and America’s history of racism can be taught in Texas schools.
That bill is commonly referred to as the “critical race theory” bill because of its opposition to a graduate school level analysis of systems and institutions which quantifies areas of disparity in treatment and outcomes Republicans falsely alleged is being taught in elementary, middle and high schools to appeal to the insecurities and fears of their core voting base.
Many have criticized Abbott's blatant hypocrisy since he issued his tweet.
\u201ci honestly feel in my bones that you come from a family that cheered when his death was announced. and that your teachers were over the moon the next day. and as like a lil boy you thought the \u201cbad guy\u201d was handled.\u201d— babe\u2019s ruth (@babe\u2019s ruth) 1673964526
\u201cImagine sharing this as you actively work to strip Black Americans of the right to vote\u201d— North Texas Democrats (@North Texas Democrats) 1673906536
\u201cYou liar. You're trying to get him out of school.\u201d— The Becky Whisperer Can't Be Stopped! (@The Becky Whisperer Can't Be Stopped!) 1673904446
\u201c\u201cToday, we honor his life & legacy. The beacon of hope he lit burns brightly in Texas.\u201d\n\nThe irony considering you work tirelessly to erase this man\u2019s efforts and the lengths he went to, to fight for racial justice.\u201d— kw (@kw) 1673899684
\u201cHe would\u2019ve hated you\u201d— Nap time is 3pm (@Nap time is 3pm) 1673900405
\u201cThis governor wants to quote Martin Luther King while stopping your children from learning about who MLK even was.\u201d— Heidi (@Heidi) 1673900884
\u201cToday is a day in which hypocrisy is displayed like no other. Unfortunate.\u201d— Edwin Ned Stimpson (@Edwin Ned Stimpson) 1673901982
\u201cI had a feeling a white bigoted politician would try and say something about a race they plan to surpress...\u201d— TonLee Gordy (@TonLee Gordy) 1673904682
\u201cThis you?\u201d— Laura Bassett (@Laura Bassett) 1673899144
Abbott wasn't the only Republican to be called out for hypocrisy on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert was criticized after she quoted King, who once said the "ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
Boebert, who said on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Americans celebrate King's "incredible legacy and contributions to this great nation," backed efforts to stop children from learning about the Civil Rights movement, regularly and falsely accused Democrats of advancing critical race theory in public schools and opposed moves to safeguard voting rights.