First, Critical Race Theory is not a curriculum (people often equate it with the 1619 Project which is also not a curriculum, but upon which some curriculum materials have been developed). It is not a series of lessons that are taught in public schools (although some teachers might refer to it as a form of critical lens). Instead, it is a method used for conducting research and examining present situations with an eye on often-ignored parts of our history.
Second, Critical Race Theory is not something new. It was established in the late 1970s and has been a part of legal and academic understanding behind why systemic racism persists beyond some of the landmark strides made by the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on facts and statistics and is used as a research methodology when studying issues of racism in our society.
Third, Critical Race Theory does not change history. What it does is examine racism as a social construct, rather than an individual's prejudice. It examines historical facts that have long been distorted or avoided by most American curriculum. In fact, it is highly probable that you were taught a version of history that deliberately presented facts in misleading ways or avoided them altogether in a way that contributed to systemic racism. This is why so many people who grew up in the American educational system feel that it is "changing" history when it is actually repairing and restoring history that had already been changed or avoided.
Fourth, with all of that established, this might be the most crucial thing to know: banning Critical Race Theory from our schools would literally establish a racist educational system. By banning Critical Race Theory, these laws would ban any examination of racism. Under the laws being proposed, a teacher could be punished just for saying that many minorities in America are facing socio-economic hardships. Seriously. These laws would punish teachers for presenting any sort of fact that suggests that racism exists or is harmful. If you are supporting any kind of ban on Critical Race Theory, you are literally supporting openly racist views of history.
I believe that most regular people who are criticizing Critical Race Theory do so because they have been deliberately misled from those same misleading sources that are poisoning our society. As I said, Critical Race Theory has been out there for quite some time. There are many legitimate sources that can better explain it. Here is one that also includes a series of other sources to examine at its end: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
Second, Critical Race Theory is not something new. It was established in the late 1970s and has been a part of legal and academic understanding behind why systemic racism persists beyond some of the landmark strides made by the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. It is based on facts and statistics and is used as a research methodology when studying issues of racism in our society.
Third, Critical Race Theory does not change history. What it does is examine racism as a social construct, rather than an individual's prejudice. It examines historical facts that have long been distorted or avoided by most American curriculum. In fact, it is highly probable that you were taught a version of history that deliberately presented facts in misleading ways or avoided them altogether in a way that contributed to systemic racism. This is why so many people who grew up in the American educational system feel that it is "changing" history when it is actually repairing and restoring history that had already been changed or avoided.
Fourth, with all of that established, this might be the most crucial thing to know: banning Critical Race Theory from our schools would literally establish a racist educational system. By banning Critical Race Theory, these laws would ban any examination of racism. Under the laws being proposed, a teacher could be punished just for saying that many minorities in America are facing socio-economic hardships. Seriously. These laws would punish teachers for presenting any sort of fact that suggests that racism exists or is harmful. If you are supporting any kind of ban on Critical Race Theory, you are literally supporting openly racist views of history.
I believe that most regular people who are criticizing Critical Race Theory do so because they have been deliberately misled from those same misleading sources that are poisoning our society. As I said, Critical Race Theory has been out there for quite some time. There are many legitimate sources that can better explain it. Here is one that also includes a series of other sources to examine at its end: https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05
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