We hope you all enjoyed listening to Prof. Kenneth Nunn in the episode: Defining Critical Race Theory, We are providing some links to help you understand what CRT is because there is so much misinformation in the press. We hope Resources for CRT Episode provide the answers to your questions.
The NAACP has a wonderful FAQ page on CRT. It includes a full explanation of what CRT is. As Prof. Nunn told us…it’s a theory taught in law school, not in K-12. The page also includes a chart showing the states that passed ban legislation. Check out the link to the African American Policy Forum’s interactive campaign #TruthBeTold.
Teaching about race is attacked throughout history
The attempt to suppress how our history is taught is not new. These attempts can be traced all the way back to slavery. Many of the same states now banning so-called CRT also outlawed teaching slaves to read and write. That’s right, it was a crime to teach an enslaved person how to read! The attempts to suppress the truth continued into modern times. During the civil rights era, any person who spoke about racism in the US was labeled a communist, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nor have bans been restricted to information about African American history. Similar attempts were made to ban teaching about Mexican Americans. Arizona passed its infamous ban on “ethnic studies” in 2010. The language of the bill is strikingly similar to the CRT bans. “The law bans classes that “promote resentment toward a race or class of people,” are “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group”, or “advocate for ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as individuals.”
The federal courts of the 9th Circuit held the bill was unconstitutional and banned the state from enforcing it. Hopefully as the challenges to the so-called CRT bans make their ways through the courts, they also will be found unconstitutional.
Book banning
In the meantime, states are moving forward and banning books that “contain” CRT or are “divisive.” Texas initially reviewed over 800 book to be banned. A final list of 85 books for the Austin area schools was published. NBC news published the titles of 50 of the books. Only 14 were related to race. For example, the story of Althea Gibson was on the list because her accomplishments might make white girls ashamed! Of the remainder, 18 related to sexual orientation and 15 to teenagers coming into awareness of their own bodies. In other words, the bans are a cover to prevent education on any issue conservative Christians disagree with over content that elevates white superiority.
In order to have well educated citizens we need to protect what our children and grand children are learning. White supremacy cannot be allowed to dictate what our kids learn. So, keep an eye on your school boards.