Why We Need Critical Race Theory
Derrick Bell, April 1990. Source: The Wall Street Journal
School districts across the country have been battling with this question: should Critical Race Theory (CRT) be taught in schools?
What is Critical Race Theory?
CRT is a framework developed by legal scholars such as Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Cheryl Harris, Richard Delgado and is more than 40 years old. It is a legal analysis based on the belief that race is not biological, but a social construct, which is used to oppress BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and that laws and institutions in America are inherently racist as they work to maintain inequalities between BIPOC, but especially Black Americans, and white people.
There are five basic tenets of CRT:
(1) race is socially constructed, not biologically natural,
(2) racism in America is not aberrational and is systemic, where it veers from the popular idea that racism is just from the product of individual bias,
(3) Bell’s theory of interest convergence, which explains that civil rights victories have not been in the full interest of Black people, where “the interests of Blacks in achieving racial equality will be accommodated only when it converges with the interests of Whites'' –– for example, the Brown V. Board of Education decision, which also worked in the interest of white people,
(4) storytelling and counter-storytelling, where mainstream school curriculum (whitewashed history) is detrimental to students and counter-storytelling is imperative in magnifying stories and narratives of marginalized communities, and
(5) white people have been recipients of civil legislation, for example, white women have benefited the most from affirmative action, when it was designed for BIPOC.
Kimberlé Crenshaw in 2018 giving a speech at The New York Women’s Foundation. Source: Monica Schipper
CRT is generally taught in higher education, but recent discussions about implementing it in K-12 education is being brought to the table. According to Education Week, Janel George, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, explains that CRT is not a specific curriculum, but the approach an educator can choose to teach about race and racism and the role it plays in American society. For example, her graduate students are surprised they didn’t learn about Native American children forcibly being removed from their homes and being sent to boarding schools or their limited learning about anti-literacy laws directed at enslaved Black people. CRT aims to give students the right tools to “help eradicate” racial inequality and better understand how it plays out in different systems today.
Kimberlé Crenshaw in 2018 giving a speech at The New York Women’s Foundation. Source: Monica Schipper
Why is it a Pressing Topic of Discussion right now?
Across social media, videos of parents at school board meetings voice their opinions on CRT and whether it has a place in the classroom. Critics, often conservative, believe that the theory is divisive and discriminates against white people. They also believe it is “indoctrinating” children, is synonymous with Marxism and communism, labels people as the “oppressed” and “oppressor”, and is very anti-American. Legislation passed in Idaho, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Tennessee controlling what teachers can teach about race, class, and gender, etc. In total, 21 states introduced bills to monitor and restrict CRT in classrooms.
In September 2020, former President Trump issued an executive order banning federal contractors from providing diversity training. He also outwardly disapproved of CRT possibly being implemented in public education. He called it “toxic propaganda that will destroy our country”. Since then, anti-CRT rhetoric from politicians, parents, and educators has been louder than ever. In a recent opinion piece, Trump states that every state should ban taxpayer dollars going to schools or workplaces that will teach CRT. He believes Congress should “institute a federal ban through legislation”.
Groups such as Save our Schools have chapters around the country run by parents who “stands against unfounded or harmful theories, curriculum, and organizations that push identity politics, targets certain groups, or promotes discrimination in any way”. They are strongly against teaching CRT as they see it as discriminatory.
How Does it Differ from Marxism?
There is a big misconception that CRT is Marxism. This is a scare tactic historically used by conservatives. CRT is similar to Critical Legal Studies, which draws from writings by Karl Marx. But, this doesn’t make CRT Marxist nor does it call for the same things as Marx. Unlike Marxist thinking, CRT does not believe in the overthrow of the government and the institutions that uphold racial inequality, but in the improvement of them. Michael Schwalbe, Professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University notes that true Marxists are actually skeptical of CRT. He writes, “whereas CRT sees racial oppression as driving much of U.S. history, Marxists see economic exploitation as the central dynamic.” While critical race theorists believe racism is embedded in America’s society, Marxists believe once the capitalist class is abolished, racism will fade away.
People talk about the teaching of CRT in Leesburg, Virginia on June 12, 2021. Source: KTLA 5
Should it be Taught in Schools?
A Critical Race Theory lens should be allowed and taught in K-12 public education. The theory is not racially divisive or “anti-American”, and does not label anyone as an “oppressor” or the “oppressed”. It is the conservatives who are pushing this incorrect idea of what this framework is and is not. It is pro-American to teach American history in its entirety and want to work towards a true, free America for all.
CRT does not put blame on the white individual, but rather the institutions, such as the education system, criminal justice system, housing, healthcare system, etc, that have laws and procedures in place that disproportionately affect BIPOC and perpetuate racial inequality. But, white people have a responsibility today to help eliminate racist laws and policies and understand the white privilege they hold. George writes, “I teach students history not to cast anyone as an “oppressor” or a “victim” but to demonstrate how these past inequities inform contemporary ones”, which stresses the importance of how the past has shaped the present.
Teaching the truth about history sparks uncomfortable conversations –- which need to be had. But, there is such a large pushback from people, mainly white, who believe these conversations aren’t needed, as they fear it could create self-hatred for mainly white students (even though the theory does not call for and shouldn’t put guilt on white people for their ancestors' doings).
Why continue to make the classroom uncomfortable for students who are part of marginalized groups and whose stories are silenced through a Eurocentric education? For decades the lack of education about American history has been harmful for many students, especially Black and Indigenous children. We cannot look at the world and teach it through a colorblind lens. There is no such thing as “not seeing color” when American society was formed on centering whiteness. CRT benefits everyone, as it also makes students and teachers aware of their unconscious bias, which are influenced by societal stereotypes, and provides a more comprehensive way of learning.
It is vital to know what the true meaning of what Critical Race Theory is and the valuable tools it provides to students, such as critical thinking and changing the structures that keep up racial inequities.
