Frequently Asked Questions

Question: What exactly is Critical Race Theory anyway?

Answer: Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a body of legal scholarship and an academic movement of civil rights scholars and activists in the United States that seek to critically examine the intersection of race and US law in a way that is an evolving and malleable practice.

It’s a way of looking at American history, American society, and government and legal systems – and power – from a race-based perspective. It’s looking at race and power.

Question: So – wait a second, you say. Is CRT being integrated into the common core?

Answer: No. Critical Race Theory is embedded primarily in legal scholarship. 

Question: So – what is being taught to our kids?

Answer: History, civics, diversity, economics, citizenship, literature.

Question: So why is everyone so worked up?

Answer: Ah, good question. There’s a lot of things playing a part here, but I would say the simplest answer is that a lot of people are getting very worried about social justice, racial equity, anti-racism, and to be honest, the changing demographics of the United States. We are having, right now, in America, hard questions about the role of policing, the role of race, the role of slavery, and a host of other issues. People are getting upset because they are afraid. 

“No matter our color, background, or zip code, we want our kids to have an education that imparts honesty about who we are, integrity in how we treat others, and courage to do what’s right. But some politicians are using the dog whistle strategy of distraction and division –trying to dictate what teachers say and block kids from learning our shared stories of confronting injustice to build a more perfect union. We demand that our schools have the resources to meet every child’s needs with well-trained and supported teachers and a curriculum that helps them reckon with the past and shape our future.”

— from the Honesty in Education Pledge by the NEA Edjustice 

–

Check out this video explaining the fight over “critical race theory” in our schools from the African American Policy Forum: