Critical Race Theory, Part 4 - What's the big deal?

Julie Reeder

Publisher

In previous pieces in this series, as well as other editorials over the past year, we’ve learned that with Critical Race Theory, race is primary rather than individuality, even though some proponents believe race does not biologically exist (like gender). Race is just a social construct, but how we identify with race is what shapes our lives, and yet “Whiteness” equals “racist.”

Nevertheless, people are divided and reduced to categories of “Blackness” and “Whiteness.” After being judged primarily by their skin color, there are positive traits connected to Blackness or people of color and negative traits attributed to Whiteness. Black people are associated with being oppressed and White people are oppressors.

Parents are fighting against it when they find that their kids are learning these systematic racist ideologies in school.

The new form of racial segregation is often into “racial affinity groups” or “racial caucuses.” The assumption is that Whites must “do the work” to address their “internalized racial superiority” and racial minorities must be protected from invasive “Whiteness.”

Next comes intersectionality. If you don’t know what that is, it is easily found online.

An elementary school in Cupertino, California forced third-graders to deconstruct their racial and sexual identities, then rank themselves according to their “power and privilege.” They separated the eight-year-old children into oppressors and oppressed.

While proponents of CRT may claim it is not being taught in any K-12 schools, the examples from parents and school employees abound. We’ve reported that while many states are rejecting or outlawing CRT in schools and government, California is aggressively passing curriculums and laws forcing students to learn CRT before graduating high school. Proponents want to make it law.

CRT also addresses the funding of schools and the claim that “White” schools receive $23 billion dollars more than “Black” schools overall. This may be true, but it’s likely not because of racism, but because those schools are in states or areas where the property taxes or other funding is lower.

While that should be looked at, funding is not always an indicator of success. One way to break those kids out of the failing educational rut is to support charter schools and private schools that outperform their state counterparts and require less funding. They are met with powerful resistance from the unions. Those kids are forced to go to neighborhood schools that are failing them. It’s not racism, it’s power structures that want authoritarian-type control.

To teach CRT is especially grievous when the schools have a large percentage of students who aren’t proficient in the core subjects. It makes me wonder if CRT is something that administrators want to focus on instead of their students’ core proficiencies because critical race theory rejects proficiencies as being based on racism. That could just be used as another excuse for schools that are failing.

It makes it much more dangerous to teach kids who the schools are failing to be angry and believe they are victims and whatever troubles they are having are someone else’s fault and then the White kids are taught to feel shame and guilt based on their skin color. There’s just nothing redeemable about this theory except that it does get people to do a deeper dive in their thinking to make sure they aren’t being or thinking racist in any way.

Our goal needs to be diversity without division.

We must prioritize excellence and proficiency in math, science, reading and writing, culture, art and technology. We need to teach kids how to think, not what to think. We need to focus on the individual. Assess their skills and build on those.

My favorite tool is the Gallup Strengths Assessment. Each person has an amazing combination of skills that they need help and encouragement to unlock and develop in addition to the basics. Let’s develop strong courageous, confident, and talented individuals who love their country and all races of people equally.