William Jacobson writes for the Martin Center about the importance of battling Critical Race Theory in education. The column is based on a recent speech to state legislators from across the country.
Now, I know you probably thought you were coming to a meeting to talk about educational policy, not how you’re going to save the nation. But I want to talk about how you can save the nation.
The ideology of critical race theory puts, at its core, in its center, that race is the most important thing in a student’s life. That skin color is the most important thing in how their life is going to develop. It’s an extremely pernicious ideology. If you wanted to think of a way to tear this country apart, it’s hard to think of a way better than what they are doing.
You are pitting students against each other based on skin color.
You are pitting students against their parents. There was that horrible incident that just happened where a little girl testified how at school they told her, don’t tell your parents about what you’re being taught. And she had testified before the school committee that that made her uncomfortable but her mom told her that you can tell me anything, but at school they were telling her not to tell about critical race theory. And if people have something to hide, there’s usually a reason for that.
It pits students against our economic system of capitalism. As a prior speaker just noted, it’s not surprising that students have this rosy view of socialism and communism because capitalism is demonized almost every day in classrooms across the country.
It pits children against the concept of meritocracy, of working hard. That somehow, showing your proof in math is a symbol of white supremacy, which is absurd. There is not a single parent of any racial or ethnic group who does not want their children to actually learn math the proper way.