Opposition to Critical Race Theory (CRT) is often painted as racist because many of its critics are white, but a growing number of black leaders, including North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, are also speaking up and speaking out against the inclusion of CRT in K-12 schools.
Quick Facts
Politicians, school boards, parents and activists across the country are battling over whether curriculum based in CRT should be allowed in schools. Now three black political leaders are stepping out to criticize the ideology and fight to block its use in the classroom.
Robinson, for example, recently went on Fox and Friends to discuss a Republican-backed bill that would bar CRT from schools. He stated,
“I want to teach children about everything that’s happened in our nation—the good, the bad, the ugly, and all aspects of it. What I don’t want to do is impart my own opinion on them. And that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to make sure that these kids and the teachers are not being pressured to follow any ideology.”
To those who doubt the existence of CRT in the school system, Robinson said,
“We have a task force that we’ve assembled here in North Carolina, in our offices, for the purpose of combating indoctrination in the classroom and what we’ve seen so far is that, unfortunately, there are teachers in the classroom who are forcing their opinion on students and we cannot allow that to happen. It’s also happening, of course, to teachers as well.”
Fellow Republican Burgess Owens, R-Utah, wrote an op-ed for Newsweek in which he said, “As our history is stolen and rewritten, Americans lose not only pride in our past, but also appreciation for our present and a vision for our future. We’re seeing this unfold as the teaching of critical race theory (CRT) continues to infiltrate our classrooms.”
Owens argued,
“If you are looking for systemic racism, don’t look in the American story; it can be found in an educational system that has yet to teach true history in its entirety. Our nation has always sought to form a more perfect union, and though not flawless, it has done better than any other in the history of mankind. Within our DNA is a desire to unify and encourage the acceptance of others.”
He continued, “The present attempt to rewrite American history denies the 245 years we have spent honoring the accomplishments of the Black community. It instead offers the narrative of a hapless and hopeless intergenerational community; one historically oppressed by a more powerful and privileged white race.”
Georgia gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones, a former representative for the state of Georgia, said that CRT is race-based and is being taught “in a way that you’re teaching racism. It does not make any sense.”
The problem, he explained, “is you are taking young people who are next to another young person and pitting one against the other, and you say to even white children, ‘Look, you’re responsible for what happened hundreds and hundreds of years ago,’ and they don’t have a clue.”
He added, “There is no place for Critical Race Theory. We can’t talk about history. We can’t talk about things we know about, teach about things we don’t know about, where it’s becoming abusive. And it’s racism and race-based. What else can you say? It just should not be taught.”
CRT is racist against whites, and racism of any kind is harmful to all. This divisive ideology is delivered as a remedy to any real or perceived issues facing blacks in America by teaching white students that they should feel responsible, guilty, and ashamed for the deeds of all other white people.
In reality, though, CRT is just as harmful to black students. Why? Because it stunts their potential, teaching them that the American system is completely aligned against them and that they have no individual power to pursue, much less achieve, their dreams.
Racism is nothing new — CRT is simply the newest incarnation of it. In order to win the battle against CRT, it’s critical that strong black leaders like Lt. Gov. Robinson, Rep. Owens, and former state Rep. Jones continue to speak the truth and fight to prevent America’s children from being taught to hate each other, hate themselves, and hate their country.
