Beth Brelje writes for the Federalist about a taxpayer-funded news outlet with little sense of history.

Taxpayer-funded National Public Radio (NPR) has done a deep investigation on why President Donald Trump’s administration is simplifying contracts by leaving out a clause telling people not to be racist.

“The federal government no longer explicitly prohibits contractors from having segregated restaurants, waiting rooms and drinking fountains.” NPR reporter Selena Simmons-Duffin wrote this week.

No, not true. The1964 Civil Rights Act absolutely prohibits “discrimination or segregation” based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

It’s just that federal contracts won’t include a segregation clause anymore. That is contract mumbo jumbo spelling out that anyone wishing to do business with the feds may not segregate workers the way people were separated in the Jim Crow Era, before the Civil Rights Act was signed. Back then — 60 years ago — black and white people were sorted by skin color in Jim Crow regions, with separate barber shops, phone booths, textbooks, and libraries, to name just a few.   

It is a hideous truth from American history. Thankfully, Jim Crow laws are neither legal nor culturally acceptable in the United States anymore. Let anyone try a “Blacks only” section in a restaurant today, and they would be cancelled faster than you can say Bud Light.

The change in contract language is in response to Trump’s Executive Order “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” The General Services Administration (GSA), circulated a memo last month instructing government agencies to stop including the segregation clause and similar clauses. in contracts and solicitations.

It makes sense. After all, government contracts don’t need a puppy clause warning, “The contractor will not murder puppies during the course of this contract.” Likewise, a segregation clause is not needed because it can be assumed the contractor has basic human decency and won’t act like a racist. And if they do, there are laws to address it.   

Take note NPR: even if you really want to keep it alive, segregation is over in America.