What Is Critical Race Theory?

What Is Critical Race Theory?

In the 2021 Virginia race for Governor, some claimed that students are being indoctrinated with “Critical Race Theory” (“CRT”) in Virginia schools,  while others vehemently denied the charge.  Who is telling the truth?

Before that question can be answered, it is necessary to understand what the advocates of CRT believe, and how those beliefs intersect most directly with education.

The Basics of Critical Race Theory

While there is no official definition of CRT, most of its advocates adhere to the following beliefs:

1.  The concept of “race” is artificial.  Blacks and whites, and other population groups, are almost identical in their genetic makeup.  Dividing people into separate “races” is simply a device to justify giving power to some groups at the expense of others.

2.  American society is inherently racist.  Racism is much deeper than overtly discriminatory laws (e.g., Jim Crow segregation; “redlining” of neighborhoods) and much deeper than overt beliefs about inferiority of black Americans.  Enduring racism is embedded in the subconsciousness of whites and in  the basic culture and value system of the predominant white society.  Thus, the term “systemic racism.”

3.  Racism is often unconscious.  Even when whites say and honestly believe they are color blind, they usually are not.  A black person in a white neighborhood or in an upscale store tends to be viewed with suspicion, where a white person would not be.  The qualifications of black job applicants are questioned more.  Without evidence, the intelligence of black employees or students is often assumed to be inferior.  Stereotypes about blacks being lazy also exist at a subconscious level.

4. The predominant white culture and values are also a source of systemic racism.  Standard “white” English is taught in schools and is considered to be the norm, whereas “black” English (“Ebonics”) is considered to be inferior and a sign of ignorance.  History and Literature are taught primarily from the perspective of whites in Western Civilization.  Some CRT authors go so far as to suggest that norms considered fundamental by others, such as hard work, individual responsibility and meritocracy, are the result of white culture, and are not necessarily shared by minority cultures.

5.  “White supremacy.”  All of this adds up to “white supremacy.” As used in the world of CRT, “white supremacy” not only refers to neo-Nazis and KKK sympathizers; it applies to the entire culture, in which whites are on top and blacks are underneath.

6.  Inequality is not caused by problems in minority communities.  It is wrong to view people as the source of inequalities.  Inequalities result from racist policies.  Disparities in outcomes are not caused  by issues within minority communities that must be addressed within those communities (e.g., high rates of teenage pregnancy, fatherless homes, drug use; insufficient emphasis on the importance of education).

7.  Desegregation is not the answer.  Black leaders and the earlier civil rights movement were wrong in suggesting that desegregation and “assimilation” into the broader society are answers to racism.  These “solutions” suggest that the predominant culture is superior to black culture, and they threaten to eliminate the separate but equal qualities of black culture.

8.  Color blindness is equivalent to racism.  Any policy that produces or sustains inequality between racial groups is a racist policy.  “Race neutrality,” or “color blindness” is, in effect, a racist policy because it allows long-standing inequalities between whites and blacks to persist. Standardized testing in schools is an example of a program that sustains racism because whites tend to have higher test scores than blacks, thereby giving blacks a sense of inferiority, and permitting whites to progress at the expense of blacks.

9.  “Equity,” not equality of opportunity.  “Social justice,” or “equity,” requires that racism be eliminated by levelling outcomes among racial groups.  Capitalism is racist because it sustains economic disparities between races.  Capitalism creates class differences, and there are differences in the incomes of different race-classes.  Because capitalism creates and sustains inequality, it is a racist economic system.

How Critical Race Theory Applies to Education

Critical Race Theory is not merely a philosophy about what and how children should be taught in school.  It is a way of looking at all of society.   CRT does, however, have significant implications for education, and the school system is perhaps the most fruitful way for CRT advocates to establish their philosophy in the public’s consciousness.

The CRT principles that most directly apply to education are these:

1.  Some people are “privileged” in education and careers by virtue of their race, while others are perpetually discriminated against because of their race.

2.  A principal emphasis in teaching History should be on how power, privilege and bias have shaped the nation, and a principal emphasis in teaching Civics should be on how power, privilege and bias have shaped our Constitution, statutes and court rulings.  Similarly, a principal emphasis in teaching English should be to use literature that stresses these themes.

3.  “Equity” is what our institutions should strive for, not  just “equality of opportunity.”

4.  Education policies and practices that result in different outcomes for different racial groups should be eliminated or modified, regardless of whether other factors might objectively explain or contribute to the different outcomes.  Thus, if one racial group does significantly better than another on standardized tests or other “merit” evaluations, the tests and evaluations should be scrapped or should be replaced by others that result in equal outcomes.  Likewise, if there are racial disparities in participation in, or performance in, advanced academic programs, the programs should be eliminated or modified in order to achieve racial “equity.”  And, if discipline policies result in students of one race being disciplined more often or more severely than another, the policies are presumed to be biased, regardless of whether other factors might account for the different outcomes; thus, they should be modified so that the rate of discipline is equal among the different groups.

          Subsequent posts will explore the extent to which beliefs and principles like these are being incorporated into the Fairfax County school system.

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