Critical Race Theory Opens my Eyes! (3)
/Note: This is the third article in a series on Critical Race Theory. You really, truly should read them in order:
Critical Race Theory Opens my Eyes (3)
Recently I saw the oddest sign in the front yard of a Green Bay home: “Defund Critical Race Theory.” What on earth?! Who “funds” CRT? What is the point of this sign? I’d never seen it before. I couldn’t help but wonder whether the guy who put it out there (I verified it is a guy), among 6 or 8 scattered signs, has a clue what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is.
That experience rekindled a suspicion that has been growing within me as I’ve spent many hours over the past weeks researching CRT. I wanted to know what everyone was yelling about, and I believe I’ve discovered a sad corollary to all the shouting: People have no idea what it is they’re actually screaming about. Anyone displaying a sign demanding that CRT be “defunded” must be awfully confused. I wondered:
How much (if anything) does this person actually know about Critical Race Theory?
Is he triggered simply by the word “race,” or is he a parent of school-aged children and one of those people hounding the school board about an “issue” that doesn’t even exist: the possibility that CRT is being taught in K-12 schools?
Is he simply an angry, self-pitying White guy who jumps on any bandwagon that triggers his inner child, or does he know something about CRT that I haven’t yet learned?
Well, regardless of his motive, that one sign nagged at me all day long. You probably know that I’ve recently posted two articles on CRT right here in the Speakeasy: Exactly What is Critical Race Theory? and Critical Race Theory as a Political Tool. And I’ve reflected on where my study of CRT has taken me, recalling the basic tenets of the theory. I see now how that understanding smacked me upside the head, once I started to really understand it, and opened my eyes to a perspective on our American way of life I’d never before entertained. For example:
If we humans share 99.9% of an identical genome (which I’d read before), is it possible that “race” actually is not a genetic fact but truly is assigned by society? I’d never considered that. We are so focused on our 0.1% differences that we ignore our similarities.
Well, of course, I soon understood that the people in power make the laws! Who else would have the power to make laws? So, yes, it makes sense that they’d codify the status quo for their own continued benefit, and so, yes, that would leave the non-dominant groups out… Now I see how our entire legal system is skewed toward the dominant race (White) with little consideration for others.
Which leads to convergence: Yes, that means that the needs and wants of a marginalized group would remain unaddressed unless and until those needs/wants converged with those of the dominant group. And now I see what a huge advantage I’ve always had as a White person.
So, if I’m a member of the dominant race (White – always the dominant race in the U.S.), I probably have internalized the system it’s created as “mine” and probably do feel that criticism of our institutions by marginalized groups are criticisms of me, personally. They’re not, but now I can see how one could take such criticism personally and be upset by it.
And perhaps my view of non-dominant groups does change with the economic landscape, the current political atmosphere, international relations, the part of the country I’m in at the moment, and other unrelated factors. I’d never thought about that before.
Perhaps I do tend to immediately categorize a new person in my life by race before considering all the other characteristics, interests, needs and goals we might share.
And finally, having grown up White in America, my view of race and racism might be fundamentally skewed and in need of guidance by those not in the dominant group.
When I consider now my complete ignorance of CRT a year ago, contrasted with the wide-eyed awakening my recent study has caused, I can’t help but wonder: How much do other Americans (particularly White Americans) actually understand about CRT? And, once the theory is confronted and understood (and the understanding does not come easily), how do they feel about race in America? That, of course, begs the question: Do members of non-dominant races actually know anything about CRT either?
Considering all that questioning, I’d be tempted to say this whole shouting match over Critical Race Theory is just a tempest in a teapot – EXCEPT that my eyes have now been opened and I can’t simply relegate this conflict to foolish ignorance or to a political false flag effort.
I can’t unsee the new view of our country that has now been revealed to me. What if I had been taught in school that the White European explorers stole the land of the natives and forced the native children to leave their families to be “re-educated” in boarding schools? What if I’d been taught that the White men who wrote our constitution were overwhelmingly owners of Black slaves held in bondage? And what if my high school biology teacher had explained to me that human beings share 99.9% of genetic material and so “race” is a miniscule part of any person’s identity?
Reflecting now, in my seventh decade of life, on a wonderful education that I adored, and without blame or acrimony, simply wondering how my perspective might have differed had I been exposed from an early age to the nasty, ugly, very “human” story of American history and culture, I think I might comprehend the terror offered by CRT. Nobody believes any teacher or school system is trying to teach a Law School course in elementary or secondary school. Of course not. And that begs the question: What, then, are they afraid of? Now I think I know.
They’re afraid of all those crude, imperfect, unpolished, unsentimental truths about how our country developed BECAUSE THEY IDENTIFY WITH “THE SYSTEM.” Let’s be clear: It’s the White people who are having conniptions about Critical Race Theory. It’s the dominant race that’s upset. And their discomfort is absolutely understandable and reasonable. Why, one of the tenets of CRT explains it perfectly: If you have internalized the system created and maintained by those in power because you are one of them, then you want the story told “prettily.” You don’t want the ugly stuff to come out, because you feel personally guilty when it does. And that’s just human nature; it can be forgiven.
But it shouldn’t be ignored or allowed to go unchecked. Here is our golden moment, White America. Here is our chance to say:
I’ve always enjoyed the benefits of the dominant race… and that’s just pure luck.
My country – the great experiment in Democracy – was built as much on violence and greed and insensitivity as it was on back-breaking work and courage and faithfulness… but I didn’t build it. That wasn’t me. I’m not guilty of it.
I’m ready to let go of the 0.1% differences among people and focus on the 99.9% we humans ALL share.
I insist now on true inclusivity in the making of laws and policies going forward, so the system starts to bend toward opportunity for ALL humans.
I refuse to close my eyes any longer to the advantages I enjoy at the expense of others and, instead, focus on the ways ALL our needs converge.
250 years from now, the United States will look a whole lot different than it does now, and my offspring and heirs will benefit from the seeds of peace and harmony we planted today, expending less energy on separateness, self-protection, and self-aggrandizement and more energy on adjusting to a changing climate and an unforgiving planet.
And today would be none too soon to start, because this White “dominant race” has only 23 years left to enjoy its dominance. Statistics clearly show that, by 2045, there will be no dominant White race in this country. What if by then we’ve established a dominant race that will not enslave us or lynch us or steal our land? What if we “dominant” people could put aside our guilt and fear today in the interests of harmony and consideration and true equality when comes our time to be marginalized?
In 2045, my youngest grandchild will be 37 years old – the perfect age to take the reins of leadership and help shape a great future for his country. What if I could, today, admit the horrific faults of my forebears and face my fears, swallow my pride, and commit to true equality, so those seeds could be planted and that future America could be one worth leading?
What do you think? Have your eyes been opened?