Critical Race Theory Defined

“Critical Race Theory questions the very foundations of the liberal order, including equality theory, legal reasoning, Enlightenment rationalism, and the neutral principle of constitutional law” – Richard Delgado and Jean Stefanic

Critical Race Theory, An Introduction

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been developing for over 40 years and can be viewed in terms of theory and praxis (how it is applied in society, including in K-12 schools).  CRT rejects the modern liberal order and the traditional civil rights movement.  They reject the “color blindness” best summarized in Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.  CRT advocates wish to transform society through the leverage of societal power, rejecting aspects of our culture such as racial integration and unifying American values, which they perceive to be aspects of White supremacy or White values.  A key aspect of CRT is the incorporation of Marxist identification of oppressed and oppressor classes, where minorities of color are cast in the role of the proletariat and White culture is cast as the bourgeoisie.  CRT is an activist movement, by design, seeking to invigorate the casting off of our cultural institutions.

“Critical Race Theory reformulates the old Marxist dichotomy of oppressor and oppressed, replacing the class categories of bourgeoisie and proletariat with the identity categories of White and Black”

Christopher Rufo

CRT has a number of principles that have been developed over time and infused into resources and curriculum for K-12 schools.  These principles include:

Color-consciousness: Proponents of CRT reject the idea of color-blindness and see all aspects of society through the lens of skin color.  This is the opposite of the key approach of Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement.  Color consciousness can be seen in districts on the coasts where racial quotas are being applied to boost certain racial groups in honors classes.  Some districts have eliminated honors programs in order to create a more equitable outcome.

Cultural separatism: CRT rejects the idea of integration into a common American culture, a culture which they pose as a “White dominant” culture. This is the opposite of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, which emphasized our common humanity and pushed our nation to embrace all races within this culture of freedom.  Ibram X. Kendi’s book, How To Be An Antiracist, separates everyone into “racists” and “anti-racists.”  In the summer of 2020, there was an example of this at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History, which produced a pamphlet claiming that hard work, rational thinking, politeness, and the nuclear family were all aspects of “Whiteness and White Culture.”

Opposition to Whiteness: Because of the rejection of “White culture” as noted above, Black culture must resist, challenge, and disrupt “Whiteness.”  There are a number of documented examples of training sessions for businesses and teachers that promote the idea of “Disrupting Whiteness.”  Some schools have begun to remove classic works, such as Shakespeare, as a move to remove white literature and shift the culture.

Emphasis on systems: CRT rejects individual action and personal responsibility and focuses on “systems” and “structures” that must be changed to end inequities.  Because of this belief, they reject values like hard work and meritocracy as elements that continue the status quo.  This is essentially a rejection of the self-reliance, individualism, and personal responsibility upon which our nation was built.  Many public schools are beginning to embrace this idea by rejecting “white privilege” and hosting speakers to discuss system injustices of varying types. 

Embrace of Marxism: CRT heavily borrows from Marxist philosophy and rhetoric, posing racial or gender categories as the oppressed by society, while whiteness or heterosexuality is posed as the oppressor.  This serves to motivate groups into activism.  Many of these concepts were refined through the work of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which is a popular work in college education circles and has heavily influenced schools.  Programs that look at group identity and intersectionality often are oriented toward defining layers of oppression and helping children to identify which category is a match for them. 

Use of deconstruction: CRT uses rhetorical techniques and manipulation of language to deconstruct our common language and problematize traditions, culture, language, and values, to move discussion toward their political ends.  This is why there is an endless stream of new terms, which seem to change by the minute.  Robin DiAngelo and Ibram X. Kendi have worked to redefine the meaning of racism and anti-racism, for example.  Equity is a great example of a term that seems to capture our culture’s interest in equality, but the subtle change comes with the CRT advocate’s desire to implement quotas or other policies to ensure equal outcomes despite the effort of students or adults in our society.  Another great example is the inability of many on the political left to define the word, “Woman,” including a recent addition to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Jackson Brown.

Subjective truth: CRT embraces postmodern philosophy’s rejection of objective truth.  This is a form of cultural relativism and is seen in discussions of “lived experience.”  Terms like “culturally responsive teaching” can be found when looking for examples of this concept.  Several school districts and some state departments of education have incorporated these concepts in the subjects like math, as Florida found in a review that showed word problems incorporating CRT based questions.

Political activism: The ultimate goal of this entire movement is political activism to undermine our society and political traditions.  CRT and related critical theories will always push for political advocacy (sometimes peaceful and sometimes not) in pursuit of its goals.  A great example of this is the effort by Black Lives Matter to develop curriculum for schools, including its goals that include “rejecting”disrupting the Western prescribed nuclear family” and embracing a variety of hard left-wing causes.

Once you understand these terms and the various techniques that are used by Critical Race Theory and its relatives, Gender Theory and Queer Theory, you can start to identify them in the culture around us and right here in our precious Oakwood Schools.  If you see something in a homework or hear about a club pursuing CRT based activities, the Oakwood Community for Strong Schools would love to get your tips.  You can e-mail us anytime at admin@oakwoodstrongschools.com.

This post is a summary of a great resource, Christopher Paslay’s A Parent’s Guide to Critical Race Theory.  If you found this information helpful, please consider purchasing Mr. Paslay’s book and please share this site with a friend!