“The child becomes largely what it is taught; hence we must watch what we teach it, and how we live before it.” – Jane Addams***
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is the idea that elements of racism exist within the major institutions of society, causing many of the inequities we have seen throughout history and still see today, in the housing market, education and criminal justice systems, healthcare and labor market. It purports that racism imbedded in the laws, policies, practices and regulations of these institutions, produces differing outcomes for people, depending upon their race, ethnicity or gender. Though racism (and sexism) is to blame for much of the inequities found among population groups in our culture, it is not always perpetuated by individuals who are racist (or sexist). Some acts, actions and practices are so deeply imbedded in our systems that many of us participate in the spread and continuation of these isms without knowledge or intention of doing so.
The Criticism of Critical Race Theory
Unfortunately, many have taken, what is actually, an analysis and education of one of the great flaws of our society, and turned it into an attack against their personal identity. They have equated CRT with an attack on the country’s institutions and in their minds, to attack our institutions is to attack them as individuals. Instead of seeing the education, analysis and understanding derived from CRT, as a means and a method of reduction or elimination of racism, they see (or say they see) it as an attempt to blame all White Americans for the past and present racism in our society. In some instances, individuals can acknowledge that racism existed in the past but they hold to a belief that it no longer exists and that equality and equity is available to all, in our society today.
The belief that CRT seeks to blame White people for today’s racism and its effects is inaccurate, though it does strive for the acceptance of White people, with everyone else, to learn and to teach their children the truth about racism – its beginnings and how it has and still does undermine true democracy in our society.
Eight U.S. states (Idaho, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Iowa, New Hampshire, Arizona, and South Carolina) have passed legislation that bans the discussion, training, and/or positioning that the U.S. is inherently racist, and any discussions on conscious and unconscious bias, privilege, discrimination, and oppression. These restrictions also go beyond race and include lectures and discussions on gender. Idaho uses the actual words, “critical race theory” while the other states do not. Local school boards in Georgia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia have criticized CRT while state school boards in Florida, Georgia, Utah, and Oklahoma have introduced new guidelines barring CRT-related discussions. It is said that as many as 20 additional states plan to introduce similar legislation.
The Miseducation of America
To date, most elementary and high school students lack adequate and accurate education on the history of race and culture in America. It is not until they reach the college lecture halls that they learn near or accurate truths on the reality of race in our country. It is both eye opening and appalling to many to discover that such important learnings have been kept out of the history books and mainstream education up to that point. And while it may be an aha moment for some it remains a moment of cognitive dissonance for others. Individuals struggling with this psychological state may do so as a result of having lived into their adult years thinking the world is one way, only to find it is something different.
Slavery, The real reason for the Civil War, the Massacre on “Black Wall Street” in Tulsa Oklahoma, the real reason behind the Alamo, Voter Suppression… these are just a few of the events that took place in American history that were left out of school books and lesson plans or have been taught with a different narrative than the correct one.
According to Barbara Sprunt, in an NPR interview, “Understanding the Republican Opposition to Critical Race Theory,” in June, 2020, Christopher Rufo, a former documentarian, called on then President Donald Trump to issue an executive order, which he did in September, 2020, combating race and sex stereotyping. This executive order also did not mention the words “critical race theory,” even in the sections specifying what shouldn’t be taught in the armed forces or in federal agencies. President Biden has since rescinded this executive order.
This attack ultimately started in July of 2020. A Seattle city employee sent Rufo an anti-bias training that they did at work, and Rufo saw it as a political opportunity to manufacture a culture war issue. In March of the same year, according to Sprunt, he tweeted that, “the goal is to have the public read something crazy in the newspaper and immediately think critical race theory.” And he added that he was rebranding the theory and driving up negative perceptions to turn it toxic.
This rebranding has become a tool of manipulation in the game of politics with no concern for the educational needs of children or anyone else. The desire is to rally up the conservatives, again using fear tactics, to get their vote.
Understanding Our Influence
Critical Race Theory is not unique to the U.S., it remains an issue for others as well and they too are working to shift this educational paradigm for generations of youth and the health of our nations. I say this to ensure we keep this reality in the forefront of our minds and recognize that a. we are not in this fight alone and b. this battle is larger than the size of one country.
The 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, raised the 40 year old educational concept of “critical race theory” in the United Kingdom as well as the U.S. It then became the target of an anti-leftist witch-hunt following the very public U.S. presidential orders to federal agencies and contractors to stop funding any training programs that drew on “race-based ideologies” that suggested racism persists in America today. Per one of Trump’s tweets: “This is a sickness that cannot be allowed to continue, please report any sightings so we can quickly extinguish!” By importing Trump’s culture war, British Conservatives began their attempts to close down any discussion of structural inequality.
Though we need to bear in mind the size of this fight, we also must bear in mind the issue of responsibility and leadership. The United States carries a great deal of power and authority across the world. Whether we are loved or hated, this fact remains and we, as a nation should remember this when we vote individuals into positions of political power, regardless of how insignificant we may think it is. Mayors, governors, state representatives, senators and certainly presidents are all key political representatives in our nation’s government. They are voted into office by the people of this country, so we all have some culpability… not that it is our fault when they go rogue but it is certainly something we need to consider when casting a vote for candidates. These individuals attempt to set policies and practice that impact others around the world as many will pattern their behaviors after us. That’s how leadership works. When we are in positions of leadership, the things we say and do leave an indelible mark on others. That is why the numbers who follow are larger than the numbers of those who lead. “Many are called but few are chosen,” as scripture says. When we leave that mark, we should ensure the mark is the right one, as it certainly is a lasting one.
Closing Thoughts
CRT is designed to provide balanced, truthful and equitable learning in our education systems for all ages. It removes the imbalance and the lies that have cast shadows across the history of our country and left individuals in the dark, struggling to understand the gaps and misnomers in our past. During the Black Lives Matter protests, many young people of every race and gender, marched, protested and supported the cause for equality and equitable treatment. Many of them, as did their family and friends, began to wonder, “How did we get here?” and “How do we fix this?” Many of these same people are now husbands and wives to persons of color, parents to biracial sons and daughters, loving grandparents to the children of interracial couples. In some cases, they themselves are biracial or multiracial, and identify with two or more races based upon parental identity.
How do we not, teach them the reality of their backgrounds and history? Educational equity seeks to provide a chance for greater opportunity and to achieve more excellent outcomes for students of all backgrounds and races by providing individual students with the supports they need to succeed. It seeks to help those who have been less advantaged to understand how to navigate a system that was set up to help them fail and to help the more advantaged stop perpetuating systems designed to hold others back. All I can say is it starts with each of us. It starts with our vote and it starts with our voice! That voice constitutes a voice in our homes, a voice in our churches and a voice in our communities. God gave us a voice. It’s time for us to use it!
The chief object of education is not to learn things but to unlearn things. – Gilbert Chesterton
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