Critical Race Theory: Not An Actual Issue

By: Austen Wyche

7/9/21

In recent months, there has been a culture war beginning in the United States over issues such as transgender participation in sports, racial inequality, vaccine hesitancy, among many others. One of these issues, known as Critical Race Theory, has been chosen by those on the right end of the political spectrum to attack those who seek to right the wrongs of systemic racism in the United States. Since the beginning of the year, bills have been introduced to ban the subject in 20 states, and governors in many states such as Georgia and Alabama have banned it’s teaching. In this article, I will explore the history of Critical Race Theory and its relevance today.

Critical Race Theory in the United States is an academic study, which seeks to explore the notion that race is a socially constructed subject, and that institutions in the United States have political, economic, and social inequities and inequalities that systematically put people of color at a relative disadvantage compared to their white counterparts. It was organized in the 1980’s by Harvard Law School professor Derrick Bell, and it seeks to explore the intersections of not only race, but sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nationality, and overall the status of discrimination in the United States legal system. According to Britainnica, theorists and experts in critical race theory have examined a number of issues in the United States political system, such as affirmative action, criminal justice reform, immigration, healthcare, welfare, and much more. Studies of critical race theory touch on issues that affect African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and other ethnic groups in the United States that have systemic unequal access to White Americans.

Now that we know the basis of critical race theory, let’s make a clear distinction here. Critical Race Theory is not simply education on the history of racism, and it is not diversity, equity, and inclusion. There is a clear difference between the legal study of critical race theory and teachings of societal racism, one that is being blurred by critics of CRT. CRT delves into the legal idea of systemic racism in the United States, and how institutional racism has intersected with the formation of the legal system in the U.S. Anti-racism and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) involves studies of white privilege and societal inequality and that individuals must be explicitly anti-racist, since simply not being racist can proliferate complacency in racism. Experts on anti-racism emphasize that racism did not end at the conclusion of the Civil Rights Movement, but that it continued, and the practices that oppressed primarily African-Americans during slavery, the Jim Crow era, and the subsequent generations have established black people and people of color as relative second-class citizens compared to White Americans. For example, when discussing police reform, people state that the criminal justice system is not broken, but that there are a few “bad apples” in the system of policing in the United States. Anti-racism studies reject this notion and assert that racism is weaved into America’s systems, which is a stark departure from the belief that America is purely a meritocratic system.

When it comes to evidence, those who push the ideals of antiracist teachings are largely backed up in their beliefs that the United States has institutional racism that places people of color behind White Americans in opportunities to succeed. First, we can look at recent examples from the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. When COVID initially struck the United States, unemployment rates skyrocketed among all demographic groups, but one thing stood out: the unemployment rate among Black Americans and Hispanic Americans was substantially higher than that of White Americans. That is not due to coincidence. When it comes to managerial positions in businesses, White Americans have a 41% rate of professional and managerial employment, while Black Americans have one of 31%, and Hispanic Americans have one even lower at 22%. I can continue with statistics displaying the gap between White Americans and people of color, such as the fact that the average Black Americans income is only 62% of that of the average White American, or that the average per capita of a White American is $18,000 more than a Black American, or even that the real median household income of White American families is $30,000 higher than the median household income of Black families. To read further about the economic, educational, and political disparities between people of color in America and White Americans, click here. Antiracism additionally studies the intersections between race and sex. This is notable in the fact that when compared to the income of white men, Black women make on average 66% of the income of White men, with Latina women making only 58%.

Recently in the United States, we have seen news channel personalities such as Fox News’ Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity rail against Critical Race Theory, claiming that the teaching is “indoctrinating” students around the United States and teaching them to “hate America.” To be quite frank, this new GOP culture war over critical race theory has nothing to do with the theory itself, but a way to promote fear in response to the emergence of change in the United States. Those who argue against critical race theory do not reveal to their misled followers that the doctrine is not taught in any K-12 schools in the United States, but that it is a law school course that is only taught in postgraduate studies. No one who teaches or learns critical race theory is insinuating or pushing the narrative that all white people are racist, nor are they asserting that America is a horrible nation. Essentially, the far-right and conservative pundits are attempting to put anything that they dislike about anti-racist education into the category of critical race theory, and they have made it clear that this is the case. The leader of the anti-CRT movement is a man named Christopher Rufo, who stated in March 2021 that “We have successfully frozen their brand—"Critical Race Theory"—into the public conversation and are steadily driving up negative perceptions. We will eventually turn it toxic, as we put all of the various cultural insanities under that brand category". There have even been allegations of critical race theory being taught in the highest military institutions, to which Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff stated that the U.S military should be "open-minded and widely read" and used the example that reading about "Karl Marx" does not necessarily make you a communist. It is ridiculous for these accusations to be levied against the military, and General Mark Milley makes a good argument (here) against those accusing the military of promoting CRT. In response to General Milley defending the U.S military, conservative commentators such as Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham called him a "pig" and suggested the defunding of the military. Promotion of misinformation has been key for those involved in these culture wars, and Americans must dismiss their arguments as purely fearmongering.

The entire conflict over false claims of critical race theory teachings stemmed from an executive order by President Trump in 2020, where he banned the teaching of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the United States federal government, as a way to mobilize the grievance of voters to aid in his re-election campaign. In the aftermath of the murders of Black Americans such as George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury, and Breonna Taylor and the subsequent protests, there was a movement to educate Americans on the horrors of systemic racism. Support for Black Lives Matter and movements against systemic racism have fallen in support since June 2020, with 60% of White Americans supporting the movement then, but fell to 45% by September 2020. Many of those who called themselves allies and stated that they were going to work to counteract racism in the United States backtracked on their claims, and it is apparent in polls by the Pew Research Center. The Republican Party and conservative activists have responded to this drop in support with an attempt to use an obscure legal teaching to deflect blame and criticize the teachings of American history. In order to truly learn from our past in the United States, a problematic, racist, and colonialistic past, we must learn the truth about institutional racism from events such as the Nat Turner Rebellion, Fort Pillow Massacre, to the 1919 Chicago Race Riot without worrying about the “comfortability” of students. The truth is that if Black children and children of color are old enough forced to endure racism in the United States, white children are old enough to learn about it.

In response to activism against anti-racism education, we have seen, and I mean this respectfully, misinformed suburbanites disrupt school board meetings and rail against a nonexistent problem. In Loudoun County, Virginia, a group of predominantly white suburban parents, some of whom worked for the Republican Party, were thrown out of a school board meeting for being disruptive and falsely claiming that Critical Race Theory was being taught in their schools. According to the Superintendent of Loudoun County Public Schools Scott Zeigler, critical race theory is not being taught in any of their schools. As someone who used to live in Fairfax County, Virginia, merely miles away from Loudoun County, I am appalled by the overt ignorance that is present in this community over a non-existent issue. Critical race theory bans have been put in place in Florida, Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma, Texas, Tennessee and many more states that are controlled by the Republican Party (23 states so far have either proposed or enacted bans). On the other hand, states led by Democratic politicians are attempting to right the wrongs in American history, promoting teachings of anti-racism and ethnic group’s contributions to society. These include California, New York, Oregon, Illinois and other states. To truly learn from the history of this nation and prevent a repeat, we must learn our past, not ignore it by favoring the emotion of the majority over the existence of the minority.

Lastly, there is a serious issue with the proposals that have been introduced: they are extremely overly broad. One bill that was proposed by Republicans in Rhode Island would “ prohibit the teaching of divisive concepts and … prohibit making any individual feel discomfort, guilty, anguish or any distress on account of their race or sex” (Al-Jazeera). In most of these laws in states such as Oklahoma, New Hampshire, and West Virginia, the laws use the term “divisive concepts” that make a student feel distressed or ashamed based on their race or color. So, if one student feels uncomfortable regarding slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil War, or quite frankly any topic, does this automatically mean that the topic is not lawful to be in discussion? At the same time that we are claiming to progress as a racially conscious nation, to pass these laws is a major step back. Teachers across the United States are worried about the topics they are allowed to discuss, with Lisa Covington, a teacher from Iowa stating that teachers are confused and “teach the truth about U.S history” out of fears they may face retribution. The bans on teaching "divisive concepts" are opposed by many educators, with organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers, the largest teacher's union in the United States, opposing the laws and pledging to defend teachers in court if necessary. Learning the history of the United States is not indoctrination, nor is it Critical Race Theory, and it is unconscionable for policymakers to enact laws that cover up the past of the United States.

In conclusion, I would like to leave a few thoughts before the end of this article. Over the last year since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police, many Americans across the country have vehemently worked to educate themselves and those around them of the history of racism in the United States. In order to continue that mission, we must reject faux outrage over “Critical Race Theory being taught at schools” and accept the fact that in order to move forward, our youth and the next generation need to learn the truth of American History: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Whitewashing history will continue decades of American ignorance, and that must be prevented in order to move forward and adequately face the disparities and inequities in our beloved nation. Since we are coming up on the 245th anniversary of America’s official independence, this is a good time to confront our past and work towards an equitable and inclusive future.

In the great words of James Baldwin, “I love America more than any other country in the world and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

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