What Critical Race Theory Actually Means (And What It Doesn’t)

Critical race theory was probably under attack the first time you heard about it. Maybe it is being used to brainwash your kids. It's anti-American, right? Local headlines from all over the country are stoking the debate over the term. You're only hearing an inaccurate version of the term when you hear about critical race theory in your children's education.

What is critical race theory? Is it a lens for understanding American history and public policy, or is it a tool to radicalize our children against white people? Although the term has been successfully warped by opponents, it's important to understand what it actually means.

In order to break down the debate, I spoke with two experts. Whether you are a parent, a student, or a concerned citizen, here is what you need to know about critical race theory.

First off, critical race theory started out for legal scholars

The term has been around for decades. The framework for legal analysis was pioneered by Harvard Law School in response to the decline of the civil rights movement in the 1970s and 1980s. The law is not inherently race-neutral, and that's one of the reasons that CRT is so important. The anti- discrimination laws that were supposed to improve the material conditions of Black people in the United States did not succeed.

Unless they’re a legal prodigy, your child isn’t learning CRT

I asked Vats what critical race theory looked like at the high school level.

Politicians and pundits who are talking about it at the high school level are trying to equate progressive conversations about treating people with equal respect.

The true legal origins of CRT have been twisted into a political weapon. Who is this weapon being used for and what is it being used against?

The political of turning CRT into a catch-all bogeyman is highlighted by Grundy. It distracts from the real fear of opponents: how our kids are learning about their country. The components of history that are watered down could be more accurately described.

The way we teach our kids history has never been neutral. If people want to critique the idea that we shouldn't teach our kids the histories of slavery or affirming their racial identities, then they're denying what I consider to be a basic respect, empathy, and

CRT is not “anti-American;” it’s “pro-accuracy”

Even if those efforts are misconstrued, fear-mongering speculation from opponents, CRT still gets thrown around as a blanket term for any sort of efforts to make our understanding of America more inclusive. According to EdWeek, the conservative Heritage Foundation explains how conservative media outlets have put a lot of energy into weaponizing CRT, taking these words that are unfamiliar jargon to most Americans, and linking them with deep racial and economic anxieties.

It is quintessentially pro-American in that it is focused.

If schools aren’t teaching CRT, then what’s getting banned?

What are people fighting over? What are the opponents trying to ban if it was never taught in K-12?

The anti-Critical Race Theory movement is at its core a blanketed refusal to engage with generational shame over decidedly shameful historical events by omitting them from school curricula, according to a piece written by Julia Claire.

It's called CRT. The core issue we're discussing is how we frame and teach American history. Many people reject the idea that we should confront the racist foundation of this country. These people are fighting to protect a shiny, white-washed version of history that keeps them comfortable.

What to say to opponents of CRT

The battle over school curriculums has always been a point of white supremacist propaganda. You can take the fact that no history is neutral and use it as a point of hope. We have the ability to confront history and do something different going forward, and that fight can start with the stories we tell in our schools.

Trying to get on the same page about the term itself is one way to start a conversation. Asking people what they know about the definitions and histories of CRT is often a good way of pointing them to the gaps in their own thinking.

The patriotism of this country is based on the need for multiple perspectives, even if they don't love to honor them in practice. If we are willing to engage with humility and empathy, we will have a profound value for all of us.

So…is my kid being radicalized?

Maybe. If your kid is being radicalized, it probably has something to do with them witnessing a large-scale failing of all their political institutions during a time of unprecedented global unrest, not learning that our founding fathers were wrong to enslave people. Which they were. So, if your child is being radicalized? Critical race theory isn't to blame.

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