What is Critical Race Theory?
Adapted from Intercessors for America (ifapray.org)
So, Critical Justice Theory or CJS applied to race is called Critical Race Theory or CRT.
In short:
- Everything that makes up American Society is racist. This includes Christianity, free markets, traditional marriage, rule of law, traditional family structures, and a representative form of government. (This is not to say that a healthy debate regarding the parameters of these issue areas is out of line in a free society; it is to point out that CRT inherently racializes all of these discussions to intentionally stifle any opinions deemed counter to their aims).
- Straight white people, children included, are inherently and irredeemably racist, and benefit from—as well as systematically rig—all the social institutions, rules, laws, and norms that white people invented and keep in place for their own disproportionate success and in order to maintain their own stranglehold on power.
- CRT holds that racism is not just a belief held by individuals; rather, it is a system of oppression that has been built into the very structure of our society. In the same way that all the roads in a city interlock to form a system of roads, Critical Social Justice believes that individual racism, cultural racism, and institutional racism overlap to form a system of racism that is present through all of society.
- CSJ also says that members of each group share the same perspective with all
the others. This means that women have a shared experience, men have a shared experience, persons of African descent have a shared experience, Asians have a shared experience, disabled people have a shared experience, and so on and so forth. Everyone has been programmed by society to think according to their skin color (or their gender, or their religions, etc.), and so that different people cannot see the world the same way. For example: white people can only see the world the way white people see it, and black people can only see the world the way black people see it. This is why proponents of CRT often start speaking by saying “as a white person,” or “as a gay person.”Another term that has become very common in usage is “anti-racist,” and the label poses a rhetorical challenge for those opposed to CRT because of course it is otherwise commendable to be against racism. But “anti-racism” instead is part of a CRT effort to change the definition of racism in order to sanction racism.
I don’t know any racist babies, do you? Wake up moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, teachers…. I attended my first school board meeting this week via Zoom and sadly the first topic of discussion was giving awards to the equity teacher. Equity is another name for Critical Race Theory, CRT proponents.
Do you know what is being taught at your child’s school?
Here’s a few simple ways to get involved:
- Ask them what they learned today
- Ask them what is being said about students that look different from them
- Ask them about No Place For Hate (another hiding place for CRT)
- Get riled up and listen to a school board meeting; better yet, speak at one. The one I attended had no representation of parents or the public. Not one person myself included submitted a question of any kind.
- Call the school(s), speak to principals, call the district superintendent
This can’t go on. Do something! This is your child(ren). Get involved.
More information of what to say, how to say it and work with teachers and principals can be found on our website.
FaithNAction 