The critical race theory elicits different reactions from various people due to their perceptions regarding the theory. On the one hand, the opponents use the critical race theory (CRT) to depict how racism in the US has shaped public policy. On the other hand, the opponents view the critical race theory as an ideology that pits the minority groups against the whites. Today, most of the states have passed bills seeking to ban the critical race theory in classroom set-ups. I believe that banning the CRT would be disadvantaging the students who need to understand the truth about American history. With this information, they will comprehend other deeper concepts regarding racism, such as institutional racism, minority groups, and the marginalization of minority groups in all societal institutions.
The critical race theory views racism as a social construct embedded in the social, political, and legal systems. The US government has been developing policies that disadvantage racial minorities over the years. In the 1930s, government policies discouraged banks from giving mortgages to the blacks in areas regarded as financially risky. Today, the government still exercises these racially discriminative policies, such as the single-family zoning that prevents the building of affordable houses in predominantly white neighborhoods.
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While banning the CRT from classrooms, the opponents argue that it is destructive and rejects the fundamental ideas on which the US constitution is based. For example, the CRT is regarded as the genesis of the Black Lives Matter movement, lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) clubs in schools, diversity programs in public and private organizations, and free speech debate (Florido, 2021). The theory portrays racism as an institutionalized phenomenon that can be perpetuated by both whites and non-whites. Conservatives argue that teaching CRT in schools will facilitate culture wars since it is divisive and unpatriotic. Further, they claimed that the theory forces students to view issues in light of racism. However, I consider CRT an eye-opening ideology that enables individuals to develop an increased awareness of how the government and society function.
In Oklahoma, the Governor signed into law a bill that banned teaching concepts that indicate one race or sex as inherently superior to the other, moral character as being determined by an individual’s race or sex, or that someone would be uncomfortable when talking about his/ her race or sex (Florido, 2021). However, teachers argue that the proposed curriculum is making it difficult for teachers to explain critical issues in the society based on structural racism, such as the murder of George Floyd, the use of racist terms such as the "China Virus", and the family issues at the Mexican/ US border. I support the teachers who state that teaching the blatant truth is the only way to go since it will help students understand racism better by relating the current occurrences with the past.
Reference
Florido, A. (May 28, 2021). Teachers say laws banning critical race theory are putting a chill on their lessons. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2021/05/28/1000537206/teachers-laws-banning-critical-race-theory-are-leading-to-self-censorship
