14 Critical Race Theory
Before discussing this further, I must first establish what Critical Race Theory(CRT) is and what it is not. When most individuals think of CRT, they think of any discussions in the classroom involving subjects that do not affirm the superiority of straight, white men. “It’s like if I hate it, it must be critical race theory… You know, that could be anything from any discussions about diversity or equity. And now it’s spread into LGBTQA things. Talk about gender, then that’s critical race theory. Social-emotional learning has now gotten lumped into it. And so it is fascinating to me how the term has been literally sucked of all of its meaning and has now become ‘anything I don’t like,’” (Anderson 2022). CRT has evolved from a school of thought previously specific to law schools, which has been adapted to fit into discussions of structural inequity in education based on race. Critical Race Theory in its purest form, some argue, is not what is presented and subsequently opposed in K-12 schools. In fact Gloria Ladson-Billings, one of the founders of CRT, does not even teach this theory to her undergraduate students, and does not believe the theory is or should be taught to K-12 students—she believes it is only really relevant to graduate students undertaking advances studies into inequity across race and its intersections (Anderson 2022).
Some of the confusion behind what is and isn’t CRT stems from ignorant right-wing propaganda, propaganda which largely started in an effort to counter the inclusion of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ The 1619 Project in some schools. The 1619 Project aims to address the role of slavery in the founding and subsequent success of the United States, and instructional materials developed by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting were being widely used in schools (Schaefer Riley, 2020). Soon after, former President Trump released a series of tweets and speeches linking the term “Critical Race Theory” to The 1619 Project curriculum materials, stating that this combination, “is especially harmful to children of minority backgrounds who should be uplifted, not disparaged. Teaching this horrible doctrine to our children is a form of child abuse in the truest sense of those words,” (Ujifusa, 2020). Later, in September of 2020, Trump released an executive order against race and gender “scapegoating,” and/or “stereotyping” in public schools. The order was followed by 42 states taking some form of action (including introducing a bill) in their state legislatures to limit discussions of racism and sexism in schools (Hodge et al. 2023).
Opponents to CRT related curriculum in schools pushed back on ideas like those that suggest institutions or the United States itself could be inherently racist, that people have unconscious biases, and even that those of certain races experience more difficulties (Lobue and Douglas 2023). While those lobbying against such ideas largely frame their objections as though they are meant to support those who face discrimination, it is clear these intentions in reality are not pure. CRT opponents will argue that raising children to recognize that certain races face unique challenges sets children of these races up for failure, and that they will not be able to succeed if they are not raised to believe they have a fighting chance. This position completely ignores that discrimination is in fact embedded in our subconsciouses and in the way our societies are structured—it cannot be reduced down to an alteration in our conscious mindsets.
What CRT opponents are actually opposed to, I argue, is larger society finally recognizing that positions of power primarily being held by white people is an injustice, and that this is due to a structural suppression of non-white people. As Lobue and Douglass point out, “attacks on CRT are not about its substance; rather, CRT is deployed as a ‘frightening symbol’ to whip up fears related to increasing participation of marginalized groups in U.S. democracy to hold onto political power,” (LoBue and Douglass 2023, pg. 551).
Again revisiting the idea that it does not serve white people to educate on the atrocities committed by the United States against Indigenous peoples, it does not serve white people to educate on how race is connected to achievement in education, which corresponds to professional achievement later in life. With inflammatory statements from politicians and right-wing organizations calling for a removal of any content relating to any form of discrimination following the popularization of CRT, it has become an especially difficult time to see progress being made towards discussing how colonialism has impacted Indigenous peoples in schools.
Traditional CRT cannot be used to fully explain the unique difficulties experienced by Indigenous peoples. “While CRT serves as a framework in and of itself, it does not address the specific needs of tribal peoples because it does not address American Indians’ liminality as both legal/political and racialized beings or the experience of colonization,” (Brayboy 2005, p. 428). The unique nature of the obstacles Indigenous peoples face has resulted in the founding of Tribal Critical Race Theory, often referred to as “TribalCrit.”
While foundational CRT largely addresses the impact of slavery on African Americans and, “theories have developed to meet the specific needs of Latinos/as and Asian Americans, they largely maintain the basic premise of CRT that racism is endemic in society. In contrast, the basic tenet of TribalCrit emphasizes that colonization is endemic to society,” (Brayboy 2005, p. 429). “Tribal Critical Race Theory allows an analysis of the deeper underlying meaning of words and depictions. The focus on assimilation and colonization, rather than race, allows for the portrayal of American Indians to be analyzed within the political realities of American Indian identity rather than race based concepts developed by colonial leaders,” (Padgett 2015, pg. 167). Many members of American society fail to recognize the unique injustices faced by Indigenous peoples and attempt to oversimplify these issues as being part of the large issue of racism, failing to recognize many of these issues are rooted in politics.