The Critical Race Theory Controversy: Much Ado about Nothing
A'Jamal Byndon
NFP Board Member
Over the past few months, there has been a huge furor about making elementary school children feel guilty or bad over teaching simple American history. The backlash over “Critical Race Theory” is merely a subterfuge to keep from addressing the American nightmare African Americans have experienced for 400 years, and thereby further delay a long overdue racial reckoning. We must also not ignore other groups such as First Nations (Indigenous peoples of North America), people of Latin American descent, and Asians who as well have suffered under the White supremacist ideology of “Manifest Destiny”. Our tragedies are far too often ignored or glossed over, because, if properly told or taught, could lead to the authentic transformation of communities and groups and undermine White Privilege.
Just lately, the media has been filled with reports of mass graves of babies and children at Catholic and other religious Indian boarding schools in Canada, as well the unearthing of mass graves in Tulsa, Oklahoma, directly related to the 300 African Americans murdered during the “Tulsa Race Massacre” of 1921. Such horrific mistreatment and murderous terror have had tremendous impact upon people of color in North America for generations.
Millions of Africans were stolen from Africa and enslaved for decades without any compensation, redress, racial healing, and reparations. Only of late has society even begun discussing how to make amends to address the spiral impact of those acts. Archival documents reveal the wealth earned by churches, insurance companies, and other businesses in this country from the enslavement of Africans. This ruthless exploitation resulted in the current conditions for the descendants of those atrocities. The cold-blooded murder of George Floyd is only a tiny indicator the culture of the United States for African Americans. In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was murdered by two White men found not guilty by a jury of White men in Mississippi. One of the racists later confessed to the crime, but a racist justice system did not retry J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant. They both died natural deaths years later.
Over 5,000 lynchings of African Americans were documented by journalist Ida B. Wells in her books and reports over the course of her career. And not one racist was brought to justice. Fast forward to the present, and we can’t get Congress to pass an anti-lynching bill. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is only a tool that helps us to examine historical records within White-controlled educational institutions. A bit of reverse engineering (as well as simple logic) illustrates that the current abysmal conditions are predicated on the past. As Malcolm X once said, “If your opponent is constantly winning, they are continually cheating.”
Educators don’t teach any semblance of CRT in Nebraska because the curriculum content for most schools and post-secondary institutions is controlled by handpicked scholars, administrators and accreditation bodies suffering from ‘White fragility’. Too many are afraid of confronting the shameless greed, treachery and genocide of America’s past, so they seek to elide over the facts, thus maintaining the status quo of inequality. In colleges and departments, fewer African Americans and people of color are teaching racial courses. One can do a simple survey to see the increase of White liberals and apologists for the White supremacy systems who are given those assignments. When I was teaching in the UNO Black Studies Department, I made it known that we should not talk about the Jewish Holocaust without including the African American Holocaust (enslavement and ‘Jim Crowism’) and the Native American genocide experienced at the hands of the racist Christian gatekeepers of White supremacy.
There is an excessive number of Black-on-Black murders and crimes committed by African American youth, which, sadly, only serves to reinforce negative stereotypes. But as Malcolm X noted in a famous 1962 speech, this destructive behavior is rooted in a centuries-long history of oppression: “Who” he asked “taught you to hate yourself?” Ignoring America’s grotesque history of enslavement, exploitation and discrimination, White folks are forever adopting the tactic of ‘blaming the victim’. Demonizing the teaching of Critical Race Theory is only their latest ploy to buffer their White fragility and continue the subjection of African Americans and other people of color. They have no interest in addressing the traumas that African Americans have experienced, which to this day is manifested most visibly in the violence of poor urban neighborhoods.
Millions of dollars have been spent on so-called ‘experts’ whose ‘top-down’ approaches can’t ever seem to reverse these problem behaviors. But invariably that’s due to the fact we are not dealing with them from perspectives of the affected families and the communities. If they were to offer real engagement of communities (that is real jobs, real education, real opportunity and a less racially hostile environment), we could work on our problems and address the trauma that has affected many for generations. However, denial of inequitable conditions or banning words and truth-teaching only makes matters worst. Racism is a social cancer that has affected this country for centuries. Failing to face this ill will destroy us as surely as those who refuse to accept the scientific advice about COVID-19 are bound to face the damages of that disease.
South Africa’s movement to a multiracial society has been slowed by an unwillingness to transfer the massive wealth unjustly accumulated under Apartheid to the majority Black population. African Americans and Whites in our country would do well to note the similarities between South Africa’s experience with desegregation and our own. Vital as the “Truth and Reconciliation” process is, ‘Truth’ alone does not lead to ‘Reconciliation’. Assets have to change hands. Critical Race Theory can help frame the discussion so we do not end up mindlessly taking Fox News’ opinions for our own. Quality education requires scholars and educators to go both up and downstream to see what is arriving on their doorsteps in the classroom so that we can best meet the students’ needs. In Nebraska, one of the most precise indicators of our inferior education system is our jail and prison population. There are more African Americans under the tutelage of the courts and criminal justice system than there are in post-secondary education institutions.
America is at a crossroads. We will never have racial healing in this country until we forthrightly face the facts about our past and narrow the wealth and income racial divide. Rather than dividing our nation further, teaching tools like Critical Race Theory offer the best opportunity we’ve yet had for everyone in society to come to the table as a full participant. At the crisis point we’re at now, our only hope for going forward is if we all, for the first time, go together.
NFP Board Member
Over the past few months, there has been a huge furor about making elementary school children feel guilty or bad over teaching simple American history. The backlash over “Critical Race Theory” is merely a subterfuge to keep from addressing the American nightmare African Americans have experienced for 400 years, and thereby further delay a long overdue racial reckoning. We must also not ignore other groups such as First Nations (Indigenous peoples of North America), people of Latin American descent, and Asians who as well have suffered under the White supremacist ideology of “Manifest Destiny”. Our tragedies are far too often ignored or glossed over, because, if properly told or taught, could lead to the authentic transformation of communities and groups and undermine White Privilege.
Just lately, the media has been filled with reports of mass graves of babies and children at Catholic and other religious Indian boarding schools in Canada, as well the unearthing of mass graves in Tulsa, Oklahoma, directly related to the 300 African Americans murdered during the “Tulsa Race Massacre” of 1921. Such horrific mistreatment and murderous terror have had tremendous impact upon people of color in North America for generations.
Millions of Africans were stolen from Africa and enslaved for decades without any compensation, redress, racial healing, and reparations. Only of late has society even begun discussing how to make amends to address the spiral impact of those acts. Archival documents reveal the wealth earned by churches, insurance companies, and other businesses in this country from the enslavement of Africans. This ruthless exploitation resulted in the current conditions for the descendants of those atrocities. The cold-blooded murder of George Floyd is only a tiny indicator the culture of the United States for African Americans. In August 1955, Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy, was murdered by two White men found not guilty by a jury of White men in Mississippi. One of the racists later confessed to the crime, but a racist justice system did not retry J. W. Milam and Roy Bryant. They both died natural deaths years later.
Over 5,000 lynchings of African Americans were documented by journalist Ida B. Wells in her books and reports over the course of her career. And not one racist was brought to justice. Fast forward to the present, and we can’t get Congress to pass an anti-lynching bill. Critical Race Theory (CRT) is only a tool that helps us to examine historical records within White-controlled educational institutions. A bit of reverse engineering (as well as simple logic) illustrates that the current abysmal conditions are predicated on the past. As Malcolm X once said, “If your opponent is constantly winning, they are continually cheating.”
Educators don’t teach any semblance of CRT in Nebraska because the curriculum content for most schools and post-secondary institutions is controlled by handpicked scholars, administrators and accreditation bodies suffering from ‘White fragility’. Too many are afraid of confronting the shameless greed, treachery and genocide of America’s past, so they seek to elide over the facts, thus maintaining the status quo of inequality. In colleges and departments, fewer African Americans and people of color are teaching racial courses. One can do a simple survey to see the increase of White liberals and apologists for the White supremacy systems who are given those assignments. When I was teaching in the UNO Black Studies Department, I made it known that we should not talk about the Jewish Holocaust without including the African American Holocaust (enslavement and ‘Jim Crowism’) and the Native American genocide experienced at the hands of the racist Christian gatekeepers of White supremacy.
There is an excessive number of Black-on-Black murders and crimes committed by African American youth, which, sadly, only serves to reinforce negative stereotypes. But as Malcolm X noted in a famous 1962 speech, this destructive behavior is rooted in a centuries-long history of oppression: “Who” he asked “taught you to hate yourself?” Ignoring America’s grotesque history of enslavement, exploitation and discrimination, White folks are forever adopting the tactic of ‘blaming the victim’. Demonizing the teaching of Critical Race Theory is only their latest ploy to buffer their White fragility and continue the subjection of African Americans and other people of color. They have no interest in addressing the traumas that African Americans have experienced, which to this day is manifested most visibly in the violence of poor urban neighborhoods.
Millions of dollars have been spent on so-called ‘experts’ whose ‘top-down’ approaches can’t ever seem to reverse these problem behaviors. But invariably that’s due to the fact we are not dealing with them from perspectives of the affected families and the communities. If they were to offer real engagement of communities (that is real jobs, real education, real opportunity and a less racially hostile environment), we could work on our problems and address the trauma that has affected many for generations. However, denial of inequitable conditions or banning words and truth-teaching only makes matters worst. Racism is a social cancer that has affected this country for centuries. Failing to face this ill will destroy us as surely as those who refuse to accept the scientific advice about COVID-19 are bound to face the damages of that disease.
South Africa’s movement to a multiracial society has been slowed by an unwillingness to transfer the massive wealth unjustly accumulated under Apartheid to the majority Black population. African Americans and Whites in our country would do well to note the similarities between South Africa’s experience with desegregation and our own. Vital as the “Truth and Reconciliation” process is, ‘Truth’ alone does not lead to ‘Reconciliation’. Assets have to change hands. Critical Race Theory can help frame the discussion so we do not end up mindlessly taking Fox News’ opinions for our own. Quality education requires scholars and educators to go both up and downstream to see what is arriving on their doorsteps in the classroom so that we can best meet the students’ needs. In Nebraska, one of the most precise indicators of our inferior education system is our jail and prison population. There are more African Americans under the tutelage of the courts and criminal justice system than there are in post-secondary education institutions.
America is at a crossroads. We will never have racial healing in this country until we forthrightly face the facts about our past and narrow the wealth and income racial divide. Rather than dividing our nation further, teaching tools like Critical Race Theory offer the best opportunity we’ve yet had for everyone in society to come to the table as a full participant. At the crisis point we’re at now, our only hope for going forward is if we all, for the first time, go together.
