Arkansas panel rejects ban on ‘1619 Project’ in schools

(AP) — An Arkansas House panel has rejected legislation that would have banned schools from teaching a New York Times project on slavery’s legacy. The House Education Committee on Tuesday rejected the proposal, one of several attempts in Republican states to limit how race is taught. The measure targeting the “1619 Project” drew criticism from teachers, civil rights leaders and the state’s top education official. Similar bans have been proposed in Mississippi and Iowa, and critics have called it an effort to whitewash crucial parts of the nation’s history. The sponsor of the ban cited criticism by some historians of the project.