Conservative Tennessee parents want teachers banned from discussing famous anti-segregation Norman Rockwell painting

On Wednesday, CNN reported that parents affiliated with a right-wing group in Tennessee are objecting to the teaching of multiple books about the Civil Rights movement — because it makes their students "feel discomfort" with their own whiteness.

One of the parents, Robin Steenman, elaborated on her objections to CNN.

"Three of the books, about the civil rights movement, are problematic for the way they're taught, she says. One is a children's book about the March on Washington written for young readers," reported Evan McMorris-Santoro and Meridith Edwards. "Two tell the story of Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old who integrated an elementary school in New Orleans in 1960. 'Ruby Bridges Goes To School,' written for elementary school students by Bridges herself, is fine for kids to read, Steenman says. But she says teachers should not be allowed to lead discussions of the pictures in the book — one of which is the famous Norman Rockwell painting of Ruby, the US Marshals who had to protect her from an angry segregationist White crowd, and the ugly slur hurled at her by adults."

Steenman elaborated on her reasons for wanting to ban discussion of the painting in an interview with CNN.

"There's no need to emphasize it," Steenman said, referring to the drawing of the N-word above Bridges in the painting. "Just, you know, if they want to read 'this book has a famous painting,' fine. And then just move on."

This comes after other reports that Moms for Liberty is demanding a variety of other content be removed from schools. Among the content they object to are books about Galileo for being unfair to the church, and a picture book of seahorses for supposedly being overly sexualized.