LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is now calling Critical Race Theory a "Marxist" and "communist" threat.

In a statement released yesterday, Ricketts claimed the study of racism's effects divides people along racial lines.

This Friday, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents will vote on a resolution to prevent CRT from being implemented on their campuses. Ricketts supports the resolution, which was proposed by Jim Pillen. Currently serving on the Board of Regents, Pillen is campaigning to replace Ricketts in the Governor's Mansion. Ricketts, who is term-limited, will officially step aside from the role in January 2023.

Staff at the University of Nebraska have spoken out against Pillen's proposal, including current UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green, who issued the following statement from his office:

With the current anti-CRT movement emboldening white supremacist groups like the KKK, and with defenders of CRT receiving death threats and extreme attacks, the authors may have unwittingly invited those undemocratic and hateful actions into the lives of members of the UNL community, based on misinformation, distortions, and fallacies.”

Former Gov. Kay Orr criticized the statement Monday, calling it "inflammatory." Orr, who served in office from 1987 to 1991, was the first female Republican elected governor in the United States. Her grandson, Taylor Gage, is the director of strategic communications for Gov. Ricketts.