What is Critical Race Theory?

  Critical Race Theory is a cross-disciplinary intellectual and social movement of civil-rights scholars and activists who seek to examine the intersection of race, society, and law in the United States and to challenge mainstream American liberal approaches to racial justice. As the article suggests, Critical Race Theory focuses on anti-racist values and takes a deeper approach when it comes to thinking about race and social movements surrounding racial discrimination. Many people argue that it is not necessary to insert race into our everyday conversations, but CRT argues that race is already a part of our everyday conversation and engrained into American society. This article goes over how anti-racist thinking looks through surface-level thinking and instead focuses on the implicit biases present in a society built on systemic racism. Critical race theorists argue that “American social life, political structures, and economic systems are founded upon race, which is a social construct”  (criticalrace.org). 

Critical Race Theory is important to keep in mind when deciding on a curriculum in school, and it can be applied to all subjects- not just history and English. 

Implementing Critical Race Theory in your teachings will encourage students to think more deeply about the world around them. With Critical Race theory, not only can students learn more about the world around them and how it functions, but they can potentially learn more about themselves. With how much history and culture has been erased out of American education, it is important to implement anti-racist practices in your teaching in order to give your students the full picture. Many school systems have been implementing anti-racism and anti-bias training as well as mandatory CRT lessons in classrooms. This is part of a bigger project to better individual communities and society as a whole. If we implement these practices in secondary education now, the next generation of learners will be better because of the work we put in.