Brittany E. Bennett
Critical race theory, often referred to by its acronym, CRT, is a liberal framework that originated in the 1970s and emerged from the legal academy which aims to question the role of race and racism in society. Theorists have applied it through the lens of race to unravel racial oppression within the courts, academia, culture, medicine, and other institutions. It was primarily taught in graduate and law schools and is now being injected in a range of public institutions including public schools, racial sensitivity training, corporate workshops and human resource diversity sessions.
It catapulted into the mainstream sphere when The New York Times created “The 1619 Project” to “reframe the country’s history” by declaring the birth of our nation did not start when our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence but, rather, the year enslaved Africans arrived in America. In September 2020, President Donald Trump issued an executive order excluding federal funded contracts to teach CRT or concepts that incorporated the 1619 Project. He then created the 1776 Commission, which would “encourage our educators to teach our children about the miracle of American history and love America.” But President Joe Biden rescinded it soon after taking office.
In response, Texas, Virginia, Florida and other states have introduced their own bills that have banned CRT concepts.
CRT is nothing more than a distraction from what matters most to parents and the academic success of our youth. The thinly veiled motive to divide our country by race should not only be recognized but condemned by the American people. CRT divides the world into race-based oppressors and oppressed and some supporters have even argued that “any place where there are white people has violent white supremacy embedded into it.” This is not educating our children on history; this is force-feeding discrimination and hatred based on race.
Slavery, Jim Crow and segregation were tragic chapters in American history and should be taught in schools. However, CRT is a dangerous step in the wrong direction for our country. We should not support a program that promotes the idea that all people of white descent bear all the responsibility for an uneven playing field for African-Americans and people of color. CRT promotes the idea that when a white child is born, that child is inherently and irredeemably racist and collectively responsible for the actions of their descendants regardless of the actions, conduct or beliefs of the individual today.
Furthermore, CRT teaches that a darker skin-toned child is seen as a hopeless victim and inferior, which should be offensive to African-Americans and all people of color. Additionally, CRT promotes the idea that one race is responsible for the challenges another race endures. This overbroad generalization is incorrect and volatile. It engrains and perpetuates resentment in the minds of the most impressionable.
Georgia should focus on teaching our children to learn from past atrocities, so history does not repeat itself and avoid placing blame or dividing people based on race. As Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. declared in the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” While CRT aims to promote education, its implementation only promotes division, hatred, and shame between races. In other words— collective guilt.
As a mother of two young children, I instill the belief that you can do anything that you put your mind to, overcome any obstacles, and that you are responsible for your own decision-making. This is the message we need to focus on teaching our youth.
We need to focus on teaching young children a balanced education, where each child can think critically— and for themselves. We should implement practical ways to make each child— regardless of racial background— feel competent in school, instead of teaching them that their race defines them or hinders them from achievement.
Identity and self-worth are derived from self-love, self -respect, and understanding. Georgia’s youth deserve this type of academic foundation, and the only way to build this foundation is to focus on the aforementioned identity and self-worth and academics— regardless of race. If not, it will only perpetuate a vicious cycle of division. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity.”
The author is a Warner Robins attorney with Bennett Law and Mediation Services
