The great debate: critical race theory
Written By Jason Nichols
Almost everyone is aware of the debate over “Critical Race Theory” in K-12 schools. Conservative activist Christopher Rufo, created a firestorm that galvanized the conservative voting base by claiming that Critical Race Theory, an intellectual movement that examines the relationship between race, racism, and power, was making white children feel bad about their skin color and painting people of color in all cases as inescapable victims.
It’s been pointed out that there is no evidence that CRT is part of any K-12 school system’s curriculum anywhere in the entire nation, but conservatives then quickly move the goalposts and say “well, it’s a catchall.” It is as if we live in a society where words and terms don’t matter. If I pointed out that Neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, 3 Percenters, and the racist, xenophobic Alt-Right often profess loyalty to former President Donald Trump and lumped them all into the catchall “MAGA”, I suspect we would hear many objections, particularly from white Evangelicals who for decades have claimed moral superiority over other Americans and make up a portion of Trump’s base. Anyway, Rufo has not been shy about his intentions. In an interview with the New Yorker, Rufo stated the following:
‘Cancel culture’ is a vacuous term and doesn’t translate into a political program; ‘woke’ is a good epithet, but it’s too broad, too terminal, too easily brushed aside. ‘Critical race theory’ is the perfect villain,
He knew that anything involving race is a sore spot for many conservative whites and it has been since the days of desegregation, Affirmative Action, and bussing. Many whites refuse to acknowledge that racism can be systemic or institutional - meaning it doesn’t always require individual animus but it is baked into our systems and puts people of color at a disadvantage - and actually believe they are the biggest victims when it comes to racism. A 2017 Study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that 55% of whites feel that white people are discriminated against. Another study from the Public Religion Research Institute found that 52% of working class whites believe that anti-white discrimination was as big a problem as it is for people of color.
Rufo understood by bastardizing the meaning of what many whites feel is an abrasive term like Critical Race Theory and couching opposition to it in fake morality of “colorblindness” and a few out of context Dr. King quotes, he could shape society in the long run and win elections in the short term. After the Virginia gubernatorial election this year, it appears he was right. Since this uproar over CRT was created, 9 states have passed “anti-CRT’ laws.
Opponents of Rufo, say that he is just trying to take discussions of race out of the classroom. They are right about that, and I think Rufo and his millions of supporters would agree. However, here’s where Rufo is right and they are wrong; teaching about history from a Black and brown perspective should not be left to the school system. Malcolm X once taught us that “only a fool would let his enemy teach his children.” While we need white children to learn history and social studies in a way that would make them good citizens and stewards of American ideals, we don’t have the power to mandate it. As far as Black and brown children, their parents have become too dependent on public and private schools to educate them. These are often the same schools that we complain miseducated us. I understand the argument that these schools are supported by our tax dollars, but if we want a true education, we must do what our ancestors did.
Though they were first created out of necessity, the Freedom Schools educated students on academic subjects but also openly discussed politics and social justice. Septima Clark created the Citizenship Schools for much the same reason. The necessity and time to teach our children and augment whatever they get from the school system is upon us.
I’ve always admired our Jewish brethren for how they made sure their culture and history were understood, respected, and preserved by their children by making Hebrew School obligatory. When I was young in the Baltimore area, even kids whose parents were not particularly religious ushered them to Hebrew School on Saturdays. Anecdotally, I can say that it built community among the Jewish children and families, and arguably strengthened their academics. Most importantly, it taught them lessons about the resilience of the Jewish people.
African Americans have the infrastructure to create something similar. There are churches throughout our communities, as well as HBCU campuses and independent community centers to house such an endeavor. Teachers could be found among volunteer college students and Black fraternities and sororities and professional organizations.
I am a firm believer in advocating for pro-Black policy both locally and nationally. However, our communities have gotten too accustomed to believing in government in situations where self determination is a more durable solution. Self determination creates traditions, and traditions outlast partisan shifts and changes in public opinion.
