Chip Gaines has been attacked by furious online trolls for donating $1,000 to his sister’s school board campaign over her support for critical race theory.
The Fixer Upper hosts donated $1,000 to Shannon Braun, who has repeatedly posted attacks on critical race theory on her website campaigning for election to the school board of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Texas.
The Gaines’ support of Chip’s sister has drawn angry backlash online from supporters of the controversial antiracism academic movement, many of whom heaped foul-mouthed insults on the TV stars.
Reality tv stars Joanna and Chip Gaines (pictured) have been attacked for donating to Chip’s sister’s school board election campaign after she spoke out against critical race theory in schools
Chip’s sister, Shannon Braun, (pictured) has repeatedly posted attacks on critical race theory on her website campaigning for election to the school board of the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District in Texas
Several Republican-led states have rejected critical race theory, including Texas where Braun is running, which is in the process of banning the antiracism academic movement
One person tweeted: ‘Chip Gaines fans are really out here trying to defend him by saying, ‘well he was only donating to his sister’s campaign.’ I’ll tell you right now, if my sibling tried to run a racist School Board campaign, I wouldn’t donate a red f**king sent (sic) to that campaign.’
In response to an article about the donation someone person tweeted: ‘The headline should be ‘Chip Gaines’s Sister is a Dumb Racist.’
Another person tweeted: ‘F*** TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines and the house they rehabbed in on. I’ll bet you 25 of my cow pies that neither of the Gainses can tell you accurately what Critical Race Theory actually is’
Several Republican-led states have rejected critical race theory, including Texas where Braun is running, whose state legislature is currently in the process of banning the antiracism academic movement.
On Wednesday, Braun stated her opposition to CRT in a Facebook post.
‘I’m committed to working alongside our parents and teachers to ensure GCISD students get the education they deserve by returning the focus of our curriculum and teaching to academics, rather than filling curriculum with divisive Critical Race Theory training.’
But the school district does not teach critical race theory in it’s curriculum, according to a Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District spokesperson.
‘As we encourage our students to take ownership of their learning, they often have choice in how they approach an assignment or the topic they research and study,’ the spokesperson told NBC News in a statement. ‘This does not mean, however, that Critical Race Theory is part of GCISD’s curriculum.’
Braun’s rival Mindy McClure, pictured, has accused Braun of running on a ‘false platform,’ but has condemned attempts by the Texas legislature to ban CRT across the state’s public schools
Schools in the Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District (pictured) do not currently teach critical race theory in it’s curriculum
The antiracism curriculum was recently banned in Dallas’ wealthy Carroll Independent School District of Southlake after parents revolted against the teachings in a school board meeting, CNN reported.
Following a meeting earlier this month, the Southlake Families PAC tweeted: ‘Critical Race Theory ain’t coming here. This is what happens when good people stand up and say, not in my town, not on my watch.’
The Gaines have not publicly addressed the donation and Braun has not posted about her relation to the reality tv stars on her social media page.
In addition to the Gaines’ $1,000 donation, campaign finance reports reveal that Braun and Chip Gaines’ parents, Bob and Gayle Gaines, have donated $2,000, Dallasnews.com reported.
Braun is currently running against incumbent Mindy McClure for the June 5 runoff for a seat on the school board.
In the May 1 election Braun received 47.9 percent of the vote while McClure got 39.3 percent, Dallasnews.com reported.
McClure’s campaign website makes no mention of CRT. She has accused Braun of running on a ‘false platform’, but hit out at a Texas State Bill which seeks to ban critical race theory in schools.
McClure told Fox4: ‘I think it sends the message that our teachers and students aren’t capable of doing this on our own.
‘I feel like with some of the problems (Braun) is trying to say it is all critical race theory.
‘It is nothing more than raising people to be respectful and tolerate of other cultures.’
Critical race theory has become a cultural lightning rod over the last 18 months, with many progressive lawmakers praising it for highlighting how deeply embedded they say racism is in American society.
Conservatives say CRT focuses too much on making white children feel bad about their race, and accuse its proponents of sewing division among young children.
A growing number of states have banned, or are seeking to ban public schools from being able to teach critical race theory.
Montana became the latest to do so on May 27, after state attorney general Austin Knudsen banned it after branding the theory ‘discriminatory.’
The theory has sparked a fierce nationwide debate in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests around the country over the last year and the introduction of the 1619 Project, a 2019 New York Times project that aimed to ‘reframe’ American history based on the impact of slaves brought to the US.
Opponents to critical race theory claim it indoctrinates children into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist and argues it reduces people to the categories of ‘privileged’ or ‘oppressed’ based on their skin color.
But supporters of critical race theory say it presents an essential and important overview of how race and racism pervades so many areas of American society, and continues to cause harm to people from minority backgrounds.
In September 2020, former president Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop funding training on topics including ‘critical race theory’ and ‘white privilege’ with taxpayer dollars.
President Joe Biden revoked the order.