What Even Is CRT?
When people see “Critical Race Theory,” (CRT) they get really worked up. If you have spent any time at all watching local news or participated in any local school board elections, the phrase has come up. It evokes strong reactions and those reactions are spoofed on Saturday Night Live or it becomes the topic of conversation at dinner time (usually parents making sure it isn’t showing up in their children’s schools). At the end of the day, very few seem confident in actually being able to explain what it is. How is a nation so afraid of something they can’t define themselves?
The Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion (formerly ISLGP) hosted a workshop last week with the Center for Community Engagement that focused on what CRT truly is and how it shows up in a variety of age groups. Throughout the course of the workshop, attendees cycled through different mini-lessons given by students.
The presentation finished with a brief overview of Critical Race Theory and its basic tenets, as listed below.
“The notion that racism is inherent in US society.”
“The idea of interest convergence.”
“Race has been constructed socially, much to the detriment of people of color.”
“The idea of storytelling and counter-storytelling.”
“The notion that white people have actually been recipients of civil rights legislation.”
In the end, none of the presentations were “anti-white.” None were “evil” as some news outlets would lead you to believe. I would encourage you to attend a similar workshop in the future, especially if you are confused on what Critical Race Theory is. Agree or disagree, but not understanding something isn’t an excuse to immediately dismiss it.
