There’s a whole lot of noise about Critical Race Theory right now, and frankly it’s crazy. First, CRT has been around for decades without anyone uttering a peep about it. Second, it has never been taught in grade schools. Or high schools. Or most college classrooms.
All this hell raising about CRT being taught to kids is subterfuge and stupidity. What they’re trying to block is the teaching of truth.
the five TENETS of CRT
So, what is it exactly? There’s a great explanation of it in The First Amendment Encyclopedia. Why there? Because it was developed as a LEGAL theory, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, primarily in response to the backtracking of the Civil Rights Movement. Kinda like now.
Critical race theory can be broken down into five tenets:
- Racism is everywhere, in everything.
- There is no middle ground on racism because racism is everywhere, in everything.
- The need for social justice is non-negotiable.
- The lived experience of the oppressed is necessary to understanding oppression.
- All disciplines matter when it comes to teaching about race.
Methinks thou dost protest too much (and me knows why)
Ted Cruz said critical race theory is as racist as ‘Klansmen in white sheets.’ Yeah, no. And a lot of folks on the right are trying to label any and every thing that has to do race as CRT, even though they know it’s not.
However, critical race theory damn sure can unmask those white-sheeted racists. CRT can explain how their past and present machinations have and continue to perpetuate systemic racism. CRT can draw the connections between them and people like Cruz who pretend to disagree while working actively to further their work. So, I understand why Cruz doesn’t like CRT. It tells the truth.
CRT in action
Simply stated, CRT does three things:
- Explains systemic racism and questions if the law can deliver social and economic justice as a result.
- Elevates the equality principles of the Fourteenth Amendment above the liberty principles of the First Amendment.
- Establishes intersectionality as the convergence of race and gender–specifically Black and female–only.
What they’re trying to block is the teaching of truth. What they’re trying to do is write another chapter of The Lost Cause Narrative. What they’re hoping to do is gaslight everyone into believing slavery is over, America is post-racial, and Black and Brown people just need to do better.
Deconstruct the name and it tells you everything scaring and emboldening those trying to block CRT: It’s critical; it’s focused on race; and it’s theoretical, so it can be denied. My solution? Change the name. Let’s just call it Actual Race Facts.
Or simply: The truth.
racespective 