Insecure Politicians Fear the Effects of Exposing the Truth About Racism

Why conservatives are spreading falsehoods about Critical Race Theory education — and why their plan will never succeed

Critical race theory (CRT) has been a dominant topic in conservative news over the past year and has particularly heightened within the past few months. The concern of CRT being taught in grades K-12 fueled by Republican lawmakers such as Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis, New Hampshire State Representative Keith Ammon, Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, Kentucky State Representative Joe Fischer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has evolved into heated confrontations between parents and administrators in school board meetings across the country.

With all the uproar about CRT, after reading several articles and watching videos on this debate, it is clear that those who oppose it have very little knowledge about the theory. CRT is taught on the undergrad and graduate levels of universities and according to Kimberle Crenshaw, one of the founding critical race theorists who is a professor at Columbia Law School, it serves as a discussion to explore how racism was built into the legal system and continues to burden the lives of non-White people.

The theory has not been introduced to children in grade school as its opponents have claimed to stoke fear in White parents who disagree with the premise. Instead, some schools across the country have attempted to add different forms of education on racism and inclusion in an effort to build an understanding of discrimination and inequality in younger children. But the GOP’s push to discredit any education that truthfully depicts the history of racism in this country is extremely telling of the real issue most conservatives have with CRT.

Allison Gaines, who is a Ph.D. student and one of the most gifted op-ed and historical writers I’ve encountered on Medium, wrote an extraordinary and highly educational article on CRT. She takes a deep dive into each tenet that effectively explains the basis for the theory and expertly details the cause and effect of the GOP’s latest attempt to divert attention away from their lack of leadership. Please take moment to read her article for a deeper understanding of the CRT before continuing with this article as it was written to address the hypocrisy of conservative leaders’ claims that teaching America’s full history will be harmful to White children.

Are some children more precious than others in America?

Conservative activist and filmmaker Christopher Rufo has devoted the past year to speaking out against the possibility of teaching CRT in schools on several different podcasts and news outlets, including Fox News. According to Rufo, the theory is inherently flawed and creates more divisiveness than valuable education.

When the critical race theorists or people that are inspired by critical race theory, whether they’re HR programmers or diversity trainers or K through 12 curricula designers, they feel in a sense powerless to push back against it. But also in many cases, they feel emboldened because it’s a radical ideology that serves the gratification of a destructive impulse and a really cynical view into our society. — Christopher Rufo, Independent Women’s Forum, May 12, 2021

Rufo and other opponents of CRT have adamantly maintained that teaching the abhorrent and insidiously racist principles this country was founded upon would only serve to place a heavy burden on the shoulders of White children who are not responsible for what transpired 400 years ago.

As a mother and a human being, I don’t believe in the suffering of any children, but I also don’t believe in reckless indoctrination. These debates have left a few burning questions in my mind that have yet to be addressed by any conservative republican:

Where is the concern for all the children who are BIPOC that have been subjected to the limited, defamatory, and flat-out false history of the founding of this country? Where is the outcry for Black children who grow up without the knowledge of the extraordinary contributions of their ancestors and instead are force-fed the lie that their people’s most prominent part of American history was their capture and enslavement? What about the Indigenous children whose history has been omitted from the school curriculum save the ridiculously fabricated story of the “first Thanksgiving?’’ Why is there no effort to educate children about the history of any other ethnicity since America has proudly proclaimed herself as the “melting pot”?

Each time I hear a republican or other conservative make claims that teaching CRT is racist, I have to shake my head at the blatant racism in their own comments. James Lindsey, the mathematician, cultural critic, and author who has been consistently vocal about his opposition to the social justice movement describes CRT as follows:

“CRT wants you to make race and racism relevant to every topic. It teaches people to look for racism in every situation and institution. It’s not diversity training or racial sensitivity training — it’s more like racial hyper-sensitivity training.” — James Lindsey, on The Rubin Report, February 19, 2021

Let’s talk about the sheer irony in his statement. White people accusing Black people of making everything about race and racism when it’s white supremacy that created this environment is ridiculous. The fear of having to confront the fact that racism was intrinsically built into every fiber of this country by its founding fathers has left many Whites in a state of panic. Critics of CRT repeatedly profess the false narrative that teaching about racism and inclusion on the grade school level will only create widespread division between different ethnic groups in this country.

I’m confused…don’t we already live in a society where division, discrimination, and exclusion are the laws of the land?

What are they really afraid of?

The fear of White children being burdened with guilt after learning the truth of how this country was founded and continues to operate to this day is a common argument of CRT critics. It’s “too much” to put on the shoulders of White children who should not be responsible for things that happened hundreds of years ago.

Why are they putting their fears on what they think it will affect White children when there’s no evidence to back up their claims? Because it’s a deflection from what they actually fear for themselves.

Conservative republicans and white supremacists fear that the unification of Black people, other marginalized groups, and White people in positions of power would produce irreversible consequences for their way of life. Their entire power structure is founded on the oppression and continued complacency of those who live with their eternal knee on our necks. The thought of people standing up, learning, and accepting the full truth about this country’s foundation of white supremacy is the stuff a racist person’s nightmares are made of.

Education + knowledge =POWER. It’s the reason my enslaved ancestors were not allowed to learn to read or write and one of the many reasons I was compelled to become a writer myself. The most effective way to imprison the mind is to withhold education and offer indoctrination instead. It has kept generations in the dark save for those curious enough to look deeper, to question the status quo, and to take it upon themselves to find answers to the information in history books that just didn’t add up.

I remember being in high school and realizing how limited my access to Black history truly was. There was no amount of extensive information on the achievements of Black Americans. Had it not been for my father’s vast knowledge of our history that he shared with my siblings and me, I would have been at a complete loss if I was ever asked to discuss significant contributions of my own people.

That is the REAL tragedy here. The fact that so many Black children have to grow up without connecting to anything positive in our history is what deserves the most immediate attention. Shielding White children from the truth and protecting the fragile egos of conservative republicans and white supremacists is what got us in this mess in the first place. It’s time for a new day.

The attempt to silence the truth is a fruitless battle

Black people have had to confront fear on every level imaginable, and we are still here. Our resilience is a huge factor of fear to those who wish to maintain the current order in this country, but sadly for them, this is not something they can control.

It’s why republicans have villanized the term “woke,” which was created in the Black community, and twisted it to minimize the call to hold racists accountable. It’s why CRT has become the “boogeyman” in conservative circles because exposing the truth will expose them for exactly who they are — and some things aren’t so pretty in the light of day. And it’s proof that white supremacists understand clearly that racism not only exists but that their survival depends on it.

No matter how much effort is put into withholding the truth, it always comes out. Some may try to delay the inevitable, but it will only serve as a temporary stay. Activists are working tirelessly to galvanize communities dedicated to facilitating tangible change. New generations are emerging and aggressively challenging the conditions they were born into. Older generations are sharing their wisdom to fuel them with the knowledge needed to create true equity and liberation. Empathetic White people have taken up the torch to lend their hand to the movement. And educators are fighting harder than ever to educate all children with facts, not fiction.

There’s also one very powerful group contributing to the cause of truth that will never be silenced: THE WRITERS.

The quote “the pen is mightier than the sword” comes to mind because writers, depending on the size of their platforms or amount of shares, can distribute information to large groups of people with lightning speed. Writers have kept the conversation on racism and equality on the radar of this country and whether someone agrees with the writer’s opinion or not, they are still reading the articles and digesting the information.

Fighting to eliminate education geared towards discussing institutionalized racism in schools and passing laws to stop curriculum that contradicts the current indoctrination will never stop this conversation. The momentum has already grown past the point where it can be slowed down by any amount of rhetoric from conservatives. The skin folk who ain’t kinfolk (Black conservatives who also oppose the truth) don’t have the power to do it either.

Those who know truth creates lasting freedom are not paying these people any attention. We are all too busy doing the work to make sure solid information is created to withstand the test of time. Inciting fear of what will happen if America’s true foundational beliefs are spelled out clear enough for a kindergartener to understand is pointless. Time would be better spent acknowledging the disenfranchisement of marginalized groups caused by the current system and working to create true equity without smoke and mirrors.

And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. — John 8:32